Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CURS'ED-LY, adv.

In a cursed manner; enormously; miserably; a manner to be cursed or detested. [A low word.]

CURS'ED-NESS, n.

The state of being under a curse, or of being doomed to execration or to evil.

CURS'ER, n.

One who curses, or utters a curse.

CUR'SHIP, n. [See Cur.]

Dogship; meanness; ill-nature. – Hudibras.

CURS'ING, n.

Execration; the uttering of a curse; a dooming to vexation or misery.

CURS'ING, ppr.

Execrating; imprecating evil on; denouncing evil; dooming to evil, misery, or vexation.

CUR'SI-TOR, n. [from the L. curso, cursito, to run.]

In England, a clerk in the court of chancery, whose business is to make out original writs. In the statute 18 Edward III. cursitors are called clerks of course. They are twenty-four in number, and are a corporation among themselves. To each are assigned countries, to which he issues writs. – Encyc.

CUR'SIVE, a. [It. corsivo, running. See Course and Current.]

Running; flowing. Cursive hand, is a running hand. – Fry.

CUR'SO-RA-RY, a.

Cursory; hasty. [Not in use.] – Shak.

CUR'SO-RI-LY, adv. [See Cursory.]

In a running or hasty manner; slightly; hastily; without attention; as, I read the paper cursorily.

CUR'SO-RI-NESS, n.

Slight view or attention.

CUR'SO-RY, a. [L. cursorius, from cursus. See Course.]

1. Running; hasty; slight; superficial; careless; not with close attention; as a cursory reading; a cursory view.
2. Running about; not stationary.

CURST, a.

Hateful; detestable; froward; tormenting: vexatious; peevish; malignant; mischievous; malicious: snarling; a word, however, which can be hardly said to have a definite signification. It is applied to any thing vexatious. In some of its applications in old authors, it appears to be the Dutch korst, crust, and to signify crusty, crabbed, surly.

CURST, pp. [of Curse. See Cursed.]

CURST'NESS, n.

Peevishness; malignity; frowardness; crabbedness; surliness.

CURT, a. [L. curtus.]

Short. [Rarely used, and not elegant.] – Brown.

CUR-TAIL', v.t. [composed of L. curtus, Fr. court, short, and tailler, to cut; taille, edge.]

To shorten; to cut off the end or a part; as, to curtail words. Hence, in a more general sense, to shorten in any manner; to abridge; to diminish; as, to curtail our privileges. It is followed by of before the thing shortened. His name was curtailed of three letters. We are curtailed of our rights.

CUR'TAIL-DOG, n.

A dog whose tail is cut off, according to the forest laws, and therefore hindered from coursing. – Shak.

CUR-TAIL'ED, pp.

Cut short or shorter; abridged.

CUR-TAIL'ING, n.

Abridgment; abbreviation. – Swift.

CUR-TAIL'ING, ppr.

Cutting short or shorter; abridging.

CUR'TAIN, n. [kur'tin; It. cortina; Low L. Sp. and Port. id.; D. gordyn; Fr. courtine, in fortification. This word may be from the root of court, and from the sense of separating. I think it is not a contraction of the It. copertina.]

1. A cloth hanging round a bed, or at a window, which may be contracted, spread, or drawn aside at pleasure; intended for ornament, or for use. Also, the hangings about the ark, among the Israelites.
2. A cloth-hanging used in theaters, to conceal the stage from the spectators. This is raised or let down by cords. Hence the phrases, to drop the curtain, to close the scene, to end; to raise the curtain, or the curtain will rise, to denote the opening of the play. And to draw the curtain, is to close it, to shut out the light, or to conceal an object; or to open it and disclose the object. Behind the curtain, in concealment, in secret.
3. In fortification, that part of the rampart which is between the flanks of two bastions, bordered with a parapet five feet high, behind which the soldiers stand to fire on the covered way, and into the moat. – Encyc.
4. In Scripture, tents; dwellings. – Hab. iii. 7.

CUR'TAIN, v.t.

To inclose with curtains; to furnish with curtains. – Shak.

CUR'TAIN-ED, pp.

Inclosed with curtains.

CUR'TAIN-ING, ppr.

inclosing or surrounding with curtains.