Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CURB, n. [Fr. courber, to bend; Russ. koroblyu, to bend, to draw in, to straiten.]

1. In the manege, a chain of iron made fast to the upper part of the branches of the bridle, in a hole called the eye, and running over the beard of the horse. It consists of three parts; the hook, fixed to the eye of the branch; the chain or links; and the two rings or mails. – Encyc.
2. Restraint; check; hinderance. Religion should operate as an effectual curb to the passions.
3. A frame or a wall round the mouth of a well.
4. [Fr. courbe; It. corba, a disease and a basket.] A hard and callous swelling on the hind part of the hock of a horse's leg, attended with stiffness, and sometimes pain and lameness. – Encyc. A tumor on the inside of a horse's hoof. – Johnson. A swelling beneath the elbow of a horse's hoof. – Bailey.