curtail: Meaning and Definition of

cur•tail

Pronunciation: (kur-tāl'), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

cur•tail

Pronunciation: (kûr'tāl"), [key]
— n. Archit.
  1. a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.
  2. Also calleda starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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