definitions

curtail

1
[ ker-teyl ]
/ kərˈteɪl /
||
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verb (used with object)

to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

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RELATED WORDS

abbreviation, reduction, condensation, cutback

Nearby words

cursor, cursorial, cursory, curst, curt, curtail, curtail step, curtailment, curtain, curtain call, curtain lecture

Origin of curtail

1
1425–75; late Middle English curtailen to restrict (said of royal succession or inheritance), probably a conflation of Middle French courtau(l)d (see curtal) and Middle English taillen to cut (see taille, tailor1)

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curtailment

British Dictionary definitions for curtailment

curtail

/ (kɜːˈteɪl) /

verb

(tr) to cut short; abridge

Derived Forms

curtailer, nouncurtailment, noun

Word Origin for curtail

C16: changed (through influence of tail 1) from obsolete curtal to dock; see curtal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012