cur

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a dog regarded as aggressive, inferior, or of mixed breed; now usually contemptuous

   The frightened cur barked from behind the broken gate.

2. 2
   noun

   a contemptible or cowardly person; used as an insult

   The villain called his informer a treacherous cur.

Simplified etymology

Cur was originally a general term for a dog but later became disparaging when applied to either a dog or a person. It probably developed from cur-dog, perhaps using Old Norse kurr, “grumbling,” and once meant a house dog.

From Middle English curre, denoting a watchdog, hunting dog, or mongrel. Its deeper origin is uncertain, though it may be related to Germanic words imitating a dog's growl. The insult for a contemptible person developed from the disparaging canine sense.

Topics

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