CURB

bridle, curb

(noun) the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess; “his common sense is a bridle to his quick temper”

curb, curbing, kerb

(noun) an edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones (usually forming part of a gutter)

curb, curb bit

(noun) a horse’s bit with an attached chain or strap to check the horse

restrict, curtail, curb, cut back

(verb) place restrictions on; “curtail drinking in school”

curb

(verb) keep to the curb; “curb your dogs”

control, hold in, hold, contain, curb, moderate

(verb) lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; “moderate your alcohol intake”; “hold your tongue”; “hold your temper”; “control your anger”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

curb (plural curbs)

(American spelling, Canadian spelling) A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand)

A raised margin along the edge of something, such as a well or the eye of a dome, as a strengthening.

Something that checks or restrains; a restraint.

A riding or driving bit for a horse that has rein action which amplifies the pressure in the mouth by leverage advantage placing pressure on the poll via the crown piece of the bridle and chin groove via a curb chain.

(North America) A sidewalk, covered or partially enclosed, bordering the airport terminal road system with adjacent paved areas to permit vehicles to off-load or load passengers.

A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness.

Verb

curb (third-person singular simple present curbs, present participle curbing, simple past and past participle curbed)

(transitive) To check, restrain or control.

(transitive) To rein in.

(transitive) To furnish with a curb, as a well; to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth.

(transitive, slang) To force to "bite the curb" (hit the pavement curb); see curb stomp.

(transitive) To damage vehicle wheels or tires by running into or over a pavement curb.

(transitive) To bend or curve.

(intransitive) To crouch; to cringe.

Synonyms

• (check, restrain, control): behedge, curtail, limit; See also curb

• (rein in)

• (furnish with a curb)

• (force to hit the curb): curb stomp

• (damage wheels on a curb)

• (bend or curve): bow, flex, incurvate; See also bend

• (crouch or cringe): bend, fawn, stoop

Source: Wiktionary


Curb (krb), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Curbed (krbd); p. pr. & vb. n. Curbing.] Etym: [F. courber to bend, curve, L.curvare, fr. curvus bent, curved; cf. Gr. Curve.]

1. To bend or curve [Obs.] Crooked and curbed lines. Holland.

2. To guide and manage, or restrain, as with a curb; to bend to one's will; to subject; to subdue; to restrain; to confine; to keep in check. Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed. Milton. Where pinching want must curbthy warm desires. Prior.

3. To furnish wich a curb, as a well; also, to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth.

Curb, v. i.

Definition: To bend; to crouch; to cringe. [Obs.] Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg, Yea, curb and woo for leave to do him good. Shak.

Curb, n.

1. That which curbs, restrains, or subdues; a check or hindbrance; esp., a chain or strap attached to the upper part of the branches of a bit, and capable of being drawn tightly against the lower jaw of the horse. He that before ran in the pastures wild Felt the stiff curb control his angry jaws. Drayton. By these men, religion,that should be The curb, is made the spur of tyranny. Denham.

2. (Arch.)

Definition: An assemblage of three or more pieces of timber, or a metal member, forming a frame around an opening, and serving to maintain the integrity of that opening; also, a ring of stone serving a similar purpose, as at the eye of a dome.

3. A frame or wall round the mouth of a well; also, a frame within a well to prevent the earth caving in.

4. A curbstone.

5. (Far.)

Definition: A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness. James Law. Curb bit, a stiff bit having branches by which a leverage is obtained upon the jaws of horse. Knight.

– Curb pins (Horology), the pins on the regulator which restrain the hairspring.

– Curb plate (Arch.), a plate serving the purpose of a curb.

– Deck curb. See under Deck.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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