Curtal \Cur"tal\ (k?r"tal), a. [OF. courtault, F. courtaud,
having a docked tail (cf. It. cortaldo), fr. court short, L.
curtus. See {Curt}, and {Curtail}.]
Curt; brief; laconic.
Essays and curtal aphorisms. --Milton.
{Curtal dog}. See {Curtail dog}.
Curtal \Cur"tal\, n.
A horse with a docked tail; hence, anything cut short. [Obs]
--Nares.
curtal
adj : (obsolete) cut short; "a dog with a curtal tail"