curtal
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: 1. (Obsolete) Cut short, shortened, or abbreviated. This term was historically used to describe something that has been physically shortened or reduced in length. 2. (Obsolete) Wearing a short coat. This specific usage referred to a friar or other person dressed in a short cloak or coat.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The old manuscript described a curtal friar, one who wore a short cloak. (Bản thảo cổ mô tả một thầy tu mặc áo choàng ngắn.)
- (Historical) They kept a curtal hound for hunting in the dense brush. (Họ nuôi một con chó săn đuôi cụt để săn bắn trong bụi rậm.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is almost exclusively found in historical texts, poetry, or discussions of archaic language. Its use in modern English is extremely rare and would be considered a deliberate archaism.
- It can be used figuratively to describe something brief or truncated in a literary context, though this is uncommon.
Variants and Related Words
- Curtail (verb): To reduce or cut short. This is the modern, active verb form related to "curtal."
- Example: The meeting was curtailed due to the storm.
- Curtal friar (noun phrase): A historical term for a friar of a certain order known for wearing short cloaks.
Synonyms
- Shortened
- Truncated
- Abbreviated
- Curtailed (modern equivalent)
Antonyms
- Lengthened
- Extended
- Elongated
- Full-length
Adjective
- (obsolete) cut short
- a dog with a curtal tail