different between obtuse vs curt

English

Etymology

From Middle French obtus (“obtuse (geometry); narrow-minded, obtuse; boring, dull, lifeless”), from Latin obt?sus (“blunt, dull; obtuse”), past participle of obtundere, from obtund? (“to batter, beat, strike; to blunt, dull”), from ob- (“prefix meaning against”) (see ob-) + tund? (“to beat, strike; to bruise, crush, pound”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd-, from *(s)tew- (“to hit; to push”)). More at obtund.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?b?tju?s/, /-?t?u?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?b?t(j)us/, /?b-/
• Rhymes: -u?s
• Hyphenation: ob?tuse

Adjective

obtuse (comparative obtuser or more obtuse, superlative obtusest or most obtuse)

1. (now chiefly botany, zoology) Blunt; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form.
   1. (botany, zoology) Blunt, or rounded at the extremity.
   2. (geometry, specifically, of an angle) Larger than one, and smaller than two right angles, or more than 90° and less than 180°.
   3. (geometry, by ellipsis) Obtuse-angled, having an obtuse angle.
2. Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 21:

     When the elder Osborne gave what he called "a hint," there was no possibility for the most obtuse to mistake his meaning. He called kicking a footman downstairs a hint to the latter to leave his service.
3. Of sound, etc.: deadened, muffled, muted.
4. Indirect or circuitous.

Synonyms

• (intellectually dull): dense, dim, dim-witted, thick (informal)
• (of a sound): deadened, muffled
• (of a triangle): obtuse-angled
• (now chiefly botany, zoology): blunt, dull

Antonyms

• (intellectually dull): bright, intelligent, on the ball, quick off the mark, quick-witted, sharp, smart
• (deadened, muffled, muted): clear, sharp
• (of an angle): acute
• (of a triangle): acute, acute-angled
• (now chiefly botany, zoology): pointed, sharp

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

obtuse (third-person singular simple present obtuses, present participle obtusing, simple past and past participle obtused)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To dull or reduce an emotion or a physical state.

Translations

Further reading

• obtuse (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• obtuse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• obtuse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• obtuse at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• buteos

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p.tyz/

Adjective

obtuse

1. feminine singular of obtus

Anagrams

• boutes

Latin

Adjective

obt?se

1. vocative masculine singular of obt?sus

References

• obtuse in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• obtuse in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

English

Etymology

From the Latin curtus (“shortened”). Cognate with German kurz, Galician corto, Italian corto, Portuguese curto, and Spanish corto. Doublet of short.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

curt (comparative curter, superlative curtest)

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

   Synonym: brusque
2. Short or concise.

Translations

Verb

curt (third-person singular simple present curts, present participle curting, simple past and past participle curted)

1. (obsolete, rare) To cut, cut short, shorten.
   • 1608, Josuah Sylvester, Du Bartas his divine weekes and workes

     Curting thy life, hee takes thy Card away.

Derived terms

• curtly
• curtness
• curtail

Related terms

• shirt
• short
• skirt

References

• An historical dictionary

Anagrams

• crut

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin curtus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?ku?t/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?kurt/
• Homophone: kurd

Adjective

curt (feminine curta, masculine plural curts, feminine plural curtes)

1. short

   Antonym: llarg

Derived terms

Further reading

• “curt” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “curt” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “curt” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “curt” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin curtus.

Adjective

curt m (feminine curte, masculine plural curts, feminine plural curtis)

1. short

Related terms

• scurtâ

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin curtus.

Adjective

curt m (feminine singular curta, masculine plural cursc, feminine plural curtes)

1. brief, short

Related terms

• scurter

Old French

Noun

curt f (oblique plural curz or curtz, nominative singular curt, nominative plural curz or curtz)

1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of cort