curtail
/kɚˈteɪl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.98 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.
Example Sentences
- "Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair."
- "When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech."
- "Although British involvement in the slave trade prior to 1807 cannot be denied, or its effects diminished, it is also a fact that the Royal Navy was pretty much the only force in the world in the 19th century with the numbers, drive, willingness, firepower, and capability to curtail the global slave trade, and that, without these efforts, many more would no doubt have been taken to slave plantations and other such destinations during the 19th, and possibly even into the 20th, centuries, as it must be remembered that a great many European powers would only begrudgingly commit to ending the slave trade when the other option was continuous war with the British Empire."
- "This is the rump of the C.L.C. branch to Southport Lord Street, which lost its passenger services beyond Aintree from January 7, 1952, whereupon the timetable between Gateacre and Aintree was greatly curtailed."
- "The current Israeli government has been working to curtail and eliminate critical voices within Israeli society in recent years, particularly those fighting to end the occupation and expose human rights violations against Palestinians and marginalized communities."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: courtault, curtus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kɚˈteɪl/
- British English: /kɜːˈteɪl/