Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Curb
Curb
(kûrb)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Curbed
(kûrbd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Curbing
.] 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
curb
thy warm desires. Prior.
3.
To furnish with a curb, as a well; also, to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth.
Curb
,Verb.
I.
To bend; to crouch; to cringe.
[Obs.]
Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg,
Yea,
Yea,
curb
and woo for leave to do him good. Shakespeare
Curb
,Noun.
1.
That which curbs, restrains, or subdues; a check or hindrance; 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
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.)
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.)
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
.Webster 1828 Edition
Curb
CURB
,Noun.
1.
In the manege, a chain of iron made fast to the upper part of the branches of the bridle, in a hole called the eye, and running over the beard of the horse. It consists of three parts; the hook, fixed to the eye of the branch; the chain or links; and the two rings or mails.2.
Restraint; check; hindrance.Religion should operate as an effectual curb to the passions.
3.
A frame or a wall round the mouth of a well.4.
A hard and callous swelling on the hind part of the hock of a horses leg, attended with stiffness, and sometimes pain and lameness. A tumor on the inside of a horses hoof. A swelling beneath the elbow of a horses hoof.CURB
,Verb.
T.
1.
To restrain; to guide and manage; as a horse.2.
To restrain; to check; to hold back; to confine; to keep in subjection; as, to curb the passions.And wisely learn to curb thy sorrows wild.
3.
To furnish or surround with a curb, as a well.4.
To bend. [Not used.]