different between curb vs halt

English

Alternative forms

• kerb (British) (noun, and verb senses 3, 4 and 5 only)

Etymology

From Middle French courbe (“curve, curved object”), from Latin curvus (“bent, crooked, curved”). Doublet of curve.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /k?b/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??b/
• Rhymes: -??(?)b
• Homophone: kerb

Noun

curb (plural curbs)

1. (American spelling, Canadian spelling) A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand)
2. A raised margin along the edge of something, such as a well or the eye of a dome, as a strengthening.
3. Something that checks or restrains; a restraint.
   • 1641, John Denham, The Sophy

     Even by these Men, Religion, that should be / The Curb, is made the Spur to Tyranny.
4. 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.
   • 1605, Michael Drayton, The Fourth Eclogue

     He that before ran in the pastures wild / Felt the stiff curb controul his angry jaws.

5. (Canada, US) 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.
6. 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.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To check, restrain or control.
   • 1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon on the Vanity of the World

     Where pinching want must curb her warm desires.
2. (transitive) To rein in.
3. (transitive) To furnish with a curb, as a well; to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth.
4. (transitive, slang) Ellipsis of curb stomp.
5. (transitive) To bring to a stop beside a curb.
6. (transitive) To damage vehicle wheels or tires by running into or over a pavement curb.
7. (transitive) To bend or curve.
   • 1603, Philemon Holland (translator), The Philosophie, commonly called, the Morals (originally by Plutarch)

     crooked and curbed lines

8. (intransitive) To crouch; to cringe.

Synonyms

• (check, restrain, control): behedge, curtail, limit; See also Thesaurus: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 Thesaurus:bend
• (crouch or cringe): bend, fawn, stoop

Translations

Related terms

• curvaceous
• curvature
• curve
• curvy

Further reading

• curb in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• curb in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• curb at OneLook Dictionary Search

Romanian

Etymology

From French courbe.

Adjective

curb m or n (feminine singular curb?, masculine plural curbi, feminine and neuter plural curbe)

1. curve

Declension

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /h??lt/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /h?lt/
• Rhymes: -??lt

Etymology 1

From Middle English halten, from Old English healtian (“to be lame, walk with a limp”), from Proto-Germanic *halt?n?. English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian halte, Swedish halta.

Verb

halt (third-person singular simple present halts, present participle halting, simple past and past participle halted)

1. (intransitive) To limp; move with a limping gait.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 4 scene 1

     Do not smile at me that I boast her of,

     For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise,

     And make it halt behind her.

2. (intransitive) To stand in doubt whether to proceed, or what to do; hesitate; be uncertain; linger; delay; mammer.
   • #*

     How long halt ye between two opinions?

3. (intransitive) To be lame, faulty, or defective, as in connection with ideas, or in measure, or in versification.
4. To waver.
5. To falter.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle French halt, from early modern German halt (“stop!”), imperative of halten (“to hold, to stop”). More at hold.

Verb

halt (third-person singular simple present halts, present participle halting, simple past and past participle halted)

1. (intransitive) To stop marching.
2. (intransitive) To stop either temporarily or permanently.

   • And it was while all were passionately intent upon the pleasing and snake-like progress of their uncle that a young girl in furs, ascending the stairs two at a time, peeped perfunctorily into the nursery as she passed the hallway—and halted amazed.

3. (transitive) To bring to a stop.
4. (transitive) To cause to discontinue.

Synonyms

• (to stop marching):
• (to stop): brake, desist, stay; See also Thesaurus:stop
• (to cause something to stop): freeze, immobilize; See also Thesaurus:immobilize
• (to cause to discontinue): break off, terminate, shut down, stop; See also Thesaurus:desist

Translations

Noun

halt (plural halts)

1. A cessation, either temporary or permanent.
2. (rail transport) A minor railway station (usually unstaffed) in the United Kingdom.

Synonyms

• (cessation: temporary): hiatus, moratorium, recess; see also Thesaurus:pause
• (cessation: permanent): close, endpoint, terminus; see also Thesaurus:finish

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English halt, from Old English healt, from Proto-Germanic *haltaz (“halt, lame”), from Proto-Indo-European *kol-d-, from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to beat, strike, cut, slash”). Cognate with Danish halt, Swedish halt.

Adjective

halt (comparative more halt, superlative most halt)

1. (archaic) Lame, limping.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Mark IX:

     It is better for the to goo halt into lyfe, then with ij. fete to be cast into hell […]

   • Bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

Noun

halt (plural halts)

1. (dated) Lameness; a limp.

Anagrams

• lath, thal

Alemannic German

Etymology

From Middle High German halt. Cognate with German halt (adverb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /halt/

Adverb

halt

1. so, just, simply
   • 1978, Rolf Lyssy & Christa Maerker, Die Schweizermacher, (transcript):

     Chömmer halt e chli früner. Schadet a nüt.

     So we'll arrive a little earlier. Won't do any harm.

Danish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

halt

1. lame

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /halt/

Etymology 1

From the verb halten (“to hold; to stop”).

Verb

halt

1. singular imperative of halten

Interjection

halt!

1. stop!, wait!

Descendants

• ? Dutch: halt
• ? Italian: alt
• ? Spanish: alto
• ? Portuguese: alto
• ? Middle French: halt
  • French: halte
    • ? Dutch: halte
  • ? English: halt

Etymology 2

From Middle High German halt, pertaining to Old High German halto (“soon, fast”). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haldiz, an adverbial comparative like *batiz.

Adverb

halt

1. (colloquial, modal particle) Indicating that something is generally known, or cannot be changed, or the like; often untranslatable; so, just, simply, indeed

Usage notes

• The word is originally southern German and is still so considered by some contemporary dictionaries. It has, however, become common throughout the language area during the past decades.

Synonyms

• eben

See also

• ja

Hungarian

Etymology

hal (“to die”) +? -t (past-tense and past-participle suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?h?lt]
• Hyphenation: halt
• Rhymes: -?lt

Verb

halt

1. third-person singular indicative past indefinite of hal

Participle

halt

1. past participle of hal

Declension

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hal??t??]

Noun

halt m

1. h-prothesized form of alt

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse haltr, from Proto-Germanic *haltaz.

Pronunciation

• Homophones: hallt, halvt

Adjective

halt (indefinite singular halt, definite singular and plural halte, comparative haltare, indefinite superlative haltast, definite superlative haltaste)

1. limp, limping

Verb

halt

1. imperative of halta and halte

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Participle

halt (definite singular and plural halte)

1. past participle of hala and hale

Verb

halt

1. supine of hala and hale

References

• “halt” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Etymology

From a conflation of Frankish *hauh, *h?h (“high, tall, elevated”) and Latin altus (“high, raised, profound”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [?ha?t]

Adjective

halt m (oblique and nominative feminine singular halte)

1. high; elevated

Adverb

halt

1. loud; loudly

Derived terms

• haltement

Descendants

• Middle French: hault
  • French: haut

Old Norse

Adjective

halt

1. strong neuter nominative/accusative singular of haltr

Verb

halt

1. second-person singular imperative active of halda