curtail

[ker-teyl]

See more synonyms for curtail on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

Origin of curtail

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 formscur·tailed·ly, adverbcur·tail·er, nouncur·tail·ment, nounnon·cur·tail·ing, adjectivenon·cur·tail·ment, nounun·cur·tailed, adjective

Synonyms for curtail

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lessen, dock. See shorten.

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

Related Words for curtailment

abbreviation, reduction, condensation, cutback

Examples from the Web for curtailment

Contemporary Examples of curtailment

The mayor-elect turned serious when asked how the appointment jibed with his call for the curtailment of stop-and-frisk.
Can Bill Bratton Solve De Blasio’s NYPD Dilemma?
Michael Daly
December 5, 2013
Osama bin Laden may be dead but the extraordinary government powers and curtailment of civil liberties enacted after 9/11 remain.
Bin Laden's Real Legacy
David K. Shipler
May 26, 2011

Historical Examples of curtailment

But, perhaps, such a sacrifice as the curtailment of your education will not be required of you.
Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp
Annie Roe Carr
There was a noble financial policy, a curtailment of expense.
Mr. Crewe's Career, Complete
Winston Churchill
That there was no necessity for this third curtailment ordered in January.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. I of 2)
Thomas Hart Benton
Why not then stop the curtailment, and restore the exchanges to their former footing?
Thirty Years' View (Vol. I of 2)
Thomas Hart Benton
But did they ever consent to a curtailment of their own rights?
Saunterings in and about London
Max Schlesinger

British Dictionary definitions for curtailment

curtail

verb

(tr) to cut short; abridge

Derived Formscurtailer, 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

Word Origin and History for curtailment

curtail

late 15c., from Middle French courtault "made short," from court "short" (Old French cort, from Latin curtus; see curt) + -ault pejorative suffix of Germanic origin. Originally curtal; used of horses with docked tails, which probably influenced the spelling. Related: Curtailed; curtailing.