curtail

¹

[ker-teyl]

verb (used with object)

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

   Synonyms: dock, lessen

curtail

²

[kur-teyl]

noun

Architecture.

1. a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.

2. Also called curtail step. a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.

curtail

/ kɜːˈteɪl /

verb

1. (tr) to cut short; abridge

Other Word Forms

• curtailment noun
• curtailer noun
• curtailedly adverb
• noncurtailing adjective
• uncurtailed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of curtail¹

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

Origin of curtail²

Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal

Word History and Origins

Origin of curtail¹

C16: changed (through influence of _tail ¹ ) from obsolete curtal to dock; see _curtal

Synonym Study

See shorten.

Example Sentences

Texas regulators tout their efforts to curtail oil field emissions by requiring drillers to obtain permits to release or burn gas from their wells.

From Salon

Prabowo did not specify which lawmakers would have their allowances curtailed, but said a moratorium on overseas trips would also be imposed.

From BBC

The curtailing of Secret Service protection comes as Harris is about to begin a book tour for her memoir, titled “107 Days.”

From Los Angeles Times

Efforts to repeal or sharply curtail the benefit for immigrant children have gone nowhere in the Republican-led Legislature, including this year.

From Salon

What’s more, Congress has curtailed funding for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, or EBSA, a small agency in the Department of Labor that enforces mental health parity in most employer-sponsored health insurance plans.

From Salon

Related Words

• cut back 
• decrease 
• diminish 
• downsize 
• halt 
• lessen 
• reduce 
• shorten 
• slash 
• trim