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"