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curtly

 - 3 dictionary results

curt

  [kurt]
Use curtly in a Sentence
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner.
2. brief; concise; terse; laconic.
3. short; shortened.
Origin:
1620–30; < L curtus shortened, short, cut short

Related forms:
curtly, adverb
curtness, noun

Synonyms:
1. snappish, sharp. 2. See blunt. 3. abbreviated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To curtly
curt   (kûrt)   
adj.   curt·er, curt·est

  1. Rudely brief or abrupt, as in speech or manner. See Synonyms at gruff.

  2. Using few words; terse.

  3. Having been shortened.


[Middle English, short, brief, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin curtus; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots.]
curt'ly adv., curt'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

curt 
1366, 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 Eng. retains short.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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