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Fig.: A curb; a restraint.

n, that I may praise thy name. Ps. cxlii. 7. The tyrant Æolus, . . . With power imperial, curbs the struggling winds, And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds. Dryden.

A well-known trailing plant (Cucurbita pepo) and its fruit, -- used for cooking and for feeding stock; a pompion. Pumpkin seed. (a) The flattish oval seed of the pumpkin. (b) (Zoöl.) The common pondfish.

An inclosure surrounding a well to prevent persons from falling into it; a well curb. Weale.

To hold back; to restrain; to keep within prescribed bounds; to curb; to govern. His reson refraineth not his foul delight or talent. Chaucer. Refrain thy foot from their path. Prov. i. 15.

The strap of a bridle, fastened to the curb or snaffle on each side, by which the rider or driver governs the horse. This knight laid hold upon his reyne. Chaucer.

or moral force, or by any interposing obstacle; to repress or suppress; to keep down; to curb. Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature Gives way to in repose! Shak.

Wanton or unrestrained behavior; uproar; tumult. His headstrong riot hath no curb. Shak.

To prevent from winning (as a horse), by pulling or curbing. [Racing Slang, Eng.]

scientific toy. -- Serpent cucumber (Bot.), the long, slender, serpentine fruit of the cucurbitaceous plant Trichosanthes colubrina; also, the plant itself. -- Serpent eage (Zoöl.), any one of several species of raptorial birds of the genera Circaëtus and Spilornis, which prey on serpents. They inhabit Africa, Southe…

the part to be placed in the mouth, and rings and cheek pieces at the ends, but having no curb; -- called also snaffle bit.

th shears or scissors; to clip off suddenly; to nip; hence, to break off; to snatch away. Curbed and snipped in my younger years by fear of my parents from those vicious excrescences to which that age was subject. Fuller. The captain seldom ordered anything out of the ship's stores . . . but I snipped some of it for my…

A plant and its fruit of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind.

r drying anything wet, as the person after a bath. Towel gourd (Bot.), the fruit of the cucurbitaceous plant Luffa Ægyptiaca; also, the plant itself. The fruit is very fibrous, and, when separated from its rind and seeds, is used as a sponge or towel. Called also Egyptian bath sponge, and dishcloth.…

An imperfection on the inside of the hind leg in horses, different from a curb, but at the same height, and frequently injuring the sale of the animal by growing to an unsightly size. Craig.

er; as, the hop vine; the bean vine; the vines of melons, squashes, pumpkins, and other cucurbitaceous plants. There shall be no grapes on the vine. Jer. viii. 13. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds. 2 Kings iv. 89. Vine apple (Bot.), a small kind of…

The very large ovoid or roundish fruit of a cucurbitaceous plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of many varieties; also, the plant itself. The fruit sometimes weighs many pounds; its pulp is usually pink in color, and full of a sweet watery juice. It is a native of tropical Africa, but is now cultivated in many countries. See Il…

pter. Base Hungarian wight! wilt thou the spigot wield! Shak. Part wield their arms, part curb the foaming steed. Milton. Nothing but the influence of a civilized power could induce a savage to wield a spade. S. S. Smith. To wield the scepter, to govern with supreme command.

In a wise manner; prudently; judiciously; discreetly; with wisdom. And wisely learn to curb thy sorrows wild. Milton.