Dictionary
cur•tail
Pronunciation: (kur-tāl'), [key]
—
v.t.
to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.
cur•tail
Pronunciation: (kûr'tāl"), [key]
—
n. Archit.
1. a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.
2. Also called
cur'tail step". a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
