curtly en · ADV
Etymology
Etymology tree English curt Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English curtly From curt + -ly.
Meanings
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In a curt manner; tersely, almost rudely.
She greeted me with a bright smile, and said: “Back already? Did you find it?” With a strong effort I mastered my emotion and replied curtly but civilly that the answer was in the negative. “No,” I said, “I did not find it.”
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most curtly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more curtly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |