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Curtail vs Abbreviate - What's the difference?

curtail | abbreviate | Related terms |

Curtail is a related term of abbreviate.


In obsolete|lang=en terms the difference between curtail and abbreviate

is that curtail is (obsolete) to cut short the tail of an animal while abbreviate is (obsolete) an abridgment .

In lang=en terms the difference between curtail and abbreviate

is that curtail is to shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate while abbreviate is to reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form .

As verbs the difference between curtail and abbreviate

is that curtail is (obsolete) to cut short the tail of an animal while abbreviate is (obsolete|transitive) to shorten by omitting parts or details .

As nouns the difference between curtail and abbreviate

is that curtail is (architecture) a scroll termination, as of a step, etc while abbreviate is (obsolete) an abridgment .

As an adjective abbreviate is

(obsolete) abbreviated; abridged; shortened .

curtail

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (obsolete) To cut short the tail of an animal
    • ''Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair.
  • To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.
    • When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech.
  • (figuratively) To limit or restrict, keep in check.
    • Their efforts to curtail spending didn't quite succeed.
  • * Macaulay
    • Our incomes have been curtailed ; his salary has been doubled.

    Synonyms

    * (animal's tail) crop, dock * shorten * behedge, control, limit, restrain

    Derived terms

    * curtailer * curtailment

    Related terms

    * curt * curtal

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (architecture) A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.

    • Anagrams

    *

    abbreviate

    English

    Etymology 1

    * Either' from (etyl) abbreviaten, from (etyl) . * See abridge.

    Verb

    (abbreviat)
  • (obsolete) To shorten by omitting parts or details.
  • * (rfdate) :
    • It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off.
  • (obsolete) To speak or write in a brief manner.
  • To make shorter; to shorten; to abridge; to shorten by ending sooner than planned.
  • To reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form.
  • (mathematics) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
    • Synonyms
    * shorten
    Antonyms
    * lengthen
    Related terms
    * abbreviation * abbreviator

    Etymology 2

    * From .

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Abbreviated; abridged; shortened.
  • *
  • (biology) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An abridgment.

    • References

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