Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “curt” come from?

Curt comes from Latin curtus, derived from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- meaning to cut or shorten.

curt (English): Brief or terse, especially to the point of being...

Definitions

  1. Brief or terse, especially to the point of being...

Ancestry of “curt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincurtusshortened, short; mutilated, broken, incomplete
2Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “curt”

  • curtly
  • curtness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →