adjective, curt·er, curt·est.
1.
rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner.
2.
brief; concise; terse; laconic.
3.
short; shortened.
Origin:
1620–30; < Latin curtus shortened, short, cut short
1620–30; < Latin curtus shortened, short, cut short
Related forms
curt·ly, adverb
curt·ness, noun
00:10
Curt
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To curt
Collins
World English Dictionary
curt (kɜːt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | rudely blunt and brief; abrupt: a curt reply |
| 2. | short or concise |
| [C17: from Latin curtus cut short, mutilated] | |
| 'curtly | |
| —adv | |
| 'curtness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
curt
mid-14c., from L. curtus "(cut) short, shortened," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to cut" (see short). Sense of "rude" is first recorded 1831. The L. word was adopted early into most Gmc. languages (cf. Icelandic korta, Ger. kurz, etc.) and drove out the native words based on P.Gmc.
*skurt-, but English retains short.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
No doubt about it, there are curt and haughty doctors out there, behaving rudely to fellow physicians and nurses alike.
The master of the longueur knows, in other words, how to be curt when the need arises.
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