Curse, kurs, v.t. to invoke or wish evil upon: to devote to perdition: to vex or torment.—v.i. to utter imprecations: to swear.—n. the invocation or wishing of evil or harm upon: evil invoked on another: torment: any great evil.—adj. Curs′ed, under a curse: blasted by a curse: hateful.—adv. Curs′edly.—ns. Curs′edness; Curs′er; Curs′ing.—adj. Curst, cursed: deserving a curse: ill-tempered: shrewish: froward.—n. Curst′ness, state of being curst: peevishness: frowardness. [A.S. cursian—curs, a curse; ety. dub.; not conn. with Cross.]
Cursitor, kur′si-tor, n. a clerk or officer in the Court of Chancery who makes out original writs. [Low L. cursitor, from the words 'de cursu,' applied in the statute to ordinary writs.]
Cursive, kur′siv, adj. written with a running hand, of handwriting: flowing.—adv. Cur′sively. [Low L. cursivus—L. currĕre, to run.]
Cursorial, kur-sō′ri-al, adj. adapted for running.—n.pl. Cursō′res, an order of birds variously limited.
Cursory, kur′sor-i, adj. hasty: superficial: careless.—adj. Cur′sorary (Shak.), cursory.—adv. Cur′sorily.—n. Cur′soriness. [L. currĕre, cursum, to run.]
Curst. See Curse.
Cursus, kur′sus, n. a race-course: a form of daily prayer or service; an academic curriculum. [L.]
Curt, kurt, adj. short: concise: discourteously brief or summary.—adj. Curt′āte, shortened or reduced; applied to the distance of a planet from the sun or earth reduced to the plane of the ecliptic.—n. Curtā′tion.—adv. Curt′ly.—n. Curt′ness. [L. curtus, shortened.]
Curtail, kur-tāl′, v.t. to cut short: to cut off a part: to abridge:—pr.p. curtail′ing; pa.p. curtailed′.—ns. Curtail′ment; Curtail′-step, the rounded step at the bottom of a stair. [Old spelling curtal, O. Fr. courtault (It. cortaldo)—L. curtus.]
Curtain, kur′tin, n. drapery hung round and enclosing a bed, &c.: the part of a rampart between two bastions.—v.t. to enclose or furnish with curtains.—n. Cur′tain-lec′ture, a lecture or reproof given in bed by a wife to her husband.—Behind the curtain, away from public view; Draw the curtain, to draw it aside, so as to show what is behind, or in front of anything so as to hide it. [O. Fr. cortine—Low L. cortina; prob. L. cors, cortis, a court.]