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. curtness n. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Adv. | 1. | curtly - in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner; "he told me curtly to get on with it"; "he talked short with everyone"; "he said shortly that he didn't like it" |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | | ? References in classic literature |
|---|
| The watchful guard, with his right hand at the stock of his raised blunderbuss, his left at the barrel, and his eye on the horseman, answered curtly, "Sir. Recollecting, however, that the valiant Amadis was not content to call himself curtly Amadis and nothing more, but added the name of his kingdom and country to make it famous, and called himself Amadis of Gaul, he, like a good knight, resolved to add on the name of his, and to style himself Don Quixote of La Mancha, whereby, he considered, he described accurately his origin and country, and did honour to it in taking his surname from it. "Reginald Brott again, I suppose," she remarked curtly. |