cur

English

Etymology

From Middle English curre (“watchdog, small hunting dog, mongrel, mutt”), perhaps of Middle Low German or North Germanic origin. Compare Middle Dutch corre (“domestic dog, yard dog, watch-dog”), dialectal Dutch korre (“dog, yard dog”), dialectal Swedish kurre (“a dog”). Compare also Old Norse kurra (“to growl; grumble”), Middle Low German kurren, korren (“to growl”). Compare also Middle Dutch querie (“female dog, bitch”).

Also Irish and Scottish Gaelic https://en.wiktionary.orghttps://dictious.com/en/c%C3%B9#Scottish_Gaelic

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɜː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /kɝ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
• Homophone: Kerr

Noun

cur (plural curs)

1. (dated or humorous) A contemptible or inferior dog.
   • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.:

     A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell
     Then Cerberus the cur couching in the kenel of hel;
     Wherof hereafter, I thinke for to write,
     Of fals double tunges in the diſpite.

   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     you have many enemies, that know not why they are so, but, like to village-curs, bark when their fellows do.

   • 1897, Joseph Conrad, “II”, in An Outpost of Progress:

     He threw the soapsuds skilfully over a wretched little yellow cur he had, then turning his face to the agent's house, he shouted from the distance, "All the men gone last night!"

   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 25”, in The Moon and Sixpence, : Grosset & Dunlap Publishers , →OCLC:

     "You have no more spirit than a mongrel cur. You lie down on the ground and ask people to trample on you."

2. (dated or humorous) A detestable person.
   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     This butcher's cur is venom-mouth'd, and I have not the power to muzzle him.

   • 1900, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, page vi. 54:

     "Who 's a cur - now - hey?"

Derived terms

• curdog

Translations

See also

• bitsa, bitser
• mongrel
• mutt

Anagrams

• CRU, Cru, RUC, cru, ruc

Aromanian

Etymology 1

From Latin culus. Compare Romanian cur.

Alternative forms

• curu

Noun

cur

1. (slang, referring to the anus) ass

Etymology 2

From Latin currō. Compare Romanian cure, cur (modern curge, curg).

Alternative forms

• curu

Verb

cur first-singular present indicative

1. to run
2. to flow

Derived terms

• curari / curare

Etymology 3

From Latin cūrō. Compare archaic/regional Romanian cura, cur.

Alternative forms

• curu

Verb

cur first-singular present indicative (past participle curatã)

1. to clean

Related terms

• curari / curare
• curat

Dalmatian

Etymology 1

From Latin cārus.

Alternative forms

• cuor, kuor

Adjective

cur m (feminine cuora)

1. dear, beloved

Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin *corem m, from Latin cor n.

Noun

cur

1. heart

Ingrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian чур (čur).

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃur/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃur/,
• Rhymes: -ur
• Hyphenation: cur

Interjection

cur

1. bags! dibs!

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 603

Irish

Alternative forms

• cuir

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /kʊɾˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /kʌɾˠ/

Noun

cur m (genitive singular as substantive cuir, genitive as verbal noun curtha)

1. verbal noun of cuir
2. sowing, planting; tillage
3. burial
4. setting, laying
5. course; round
6. set (of implements)

Declension

Substantive

Verbal noun

Mutation

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cur”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Entries containing “cur” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “cur” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Latin

Alternative forms

• qūr, quūr, quōr (old form)
• quur, cor (rare)

Etymology

From Old Latin quūr, quōr, from Proto-Italic *kʷōr, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷōr, having undergone pre-resonant and monosyllabic lengthening from *kʷor (“where”), from *kʷos (“interrogative determiner”) +‎ *-r (“adverbial suffix”). For other Indo-European cognates, compare:

• Sanskrit कर्हि (kárhi, “when”), Proto-Germanic *hwar (“where”) < *kʷor
• Old English hwǣr (“where”), Old High German hwār (“where”) < *kʷēr
• Albanian kur (“when”), Lithuanian kur̃ (“where, whither”), Armenian ուր (ur, “where”) < *kʷur
• Norwegian Nynorsk kvar (“where”), Norwegian Nynorsk kor (“where”), Norwegian Bokmål hvor (“where”) < Old Norse hvárr < older hvaðarr < Proto-Germanic *hwaþeraz < Proto-Indo-European *kʷóteros, from *kʷos (“which”)

See also quirquir (“wherever(?)”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kuːr/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kur/,

Adverb

cūr (not comparable)

1. why, for what reason, wherefore, to what purpose, from what motive

   Cur in terra iaces?

   Why are you lying on the ground?

   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 11.424:

     Cur ante tubam tremor occupat artus?

     Why before the trumpet , fear seizes your limbs?

Derived terms

• cūr nōn

Related terms

• nam
• quia

References

• “cur”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• cur in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• cur in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • how came it that...: quid causae fuit cur...?
    
• “cūr” on page 519/1-2 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012)

Laz

Numeral

cur

1. Latin spelling of ჯურ (cur)

Manx

Etymology

A highly suppletive verb with forms derived from two already suppletive verbs.

• The imperative and verbal noun forms are from Old Irish cuirid, from older cor, the verbal noun of fo·ceird. The verbal noun is etymologically unrelated to fo·ceird itself however, only arising in its paradigm due to suppletion.
• All other forms of the verb are from Old Irish do·beir, itself also a suppletive verb. See also Scottish Gaelic thoir and Irish tabhair.

Verb

irreg=yes

cur (verbal noun cur, coyrt)

1. put

   Cur y muc shen magh hoshiaght. ― Put that pig out first.

2. give

Conjugation

Derived terms

• cur ayns kishtey (“box, crate”, verb)

Mutation

References

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 cuirid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Megleno-Romanian

Etymology

From Latin culus.

Noun

cur

1. (slang) asshole (anus)

Middle English

Noun

cur

1. Alternative form of curre

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish caur, from Proto-Celtic *karuts.

Noun

cur m (genitive curad, nominative plural curaid)

1. hero, warrior
   • c. 1000, “The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig”, in Ernst Windisch, editor, Irische Texte, volume 1, published 1800, section 15:

     Fo chích curad
     crechtaig, cathbuadaig, at comsa mac Findchoeme frim. […] Magen curad,
     cride n-ega, eithre n-ela,
     eirr trén tressa, trethan ágach,
     cain tarb tnúthach.

     Under the breast of the hero
     covered in wounds, victorious in battle, you are the son of Findchoem who is equal to me. Dwelling of a hero,
     heart of ice, plumage of a swan
     strong chariot-hero of battle, warlike sea,
     beautiful fierce bull.

Derived terms

• curadmír (“warrior’s portion”)

Descendants

• Irish: curadh

Mutation

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “cur”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Romagnol

Noun

cur f pl

1. plural of cùra

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kur/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin culus, from Proto-Indo-European *kuH-l-, zero-grade without s-mobile form of *(s)kewH- (“to cover”). Compare Italian culo, French cul.

Noun

cur n (plural cururi)

1. (slang, vulgar, referring to the anus) asshole

   Synonyms: anus, dos, fund, popou, șezut

   O să-mi bag pula în curul tău.

   I'm gonna put my cock in your ass.

Declension

Derived terms

• curist

Etymology 2

Verb

cur

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of cura (to clean)

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

cur m (genitive singular cuir, no plural)

1. verbal noun of cuir
2. placing, setting, sending, sowing
3. laying, pouring
4. falling of snow, raining
5. throwing

Derived terms

• ath-chur (“transplant”)
• eadar-chur (“interjection, interruption”)

Mutation

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “cur”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh kur, from Proto-Brythonic *kʉr, from Latin cūra.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /kɨ̞r/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /kɪr/
• Rhymes: -ɨ̞r

Noun

cur m or f (plural curiau or curau)

1. pain, ache

   Synonyms: poen, dolur, gloes

2. pang
3. anguish, anxiety

   Synonym: blinder

Derived terms

• cur pen (“headache”)

Mutation

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “cur”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies