Nearby Words

curtness

[kurt] Origin

curt

[kurt]
adjective, -er, -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

curt·ly, adverb
curt·ness, noun


1. snappish, sharp. 2. See blunt. 3. abbreviated.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Curtness is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
curt (kɜːt)
 
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
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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.
EXPAND
*skurt-, but English retains short.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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