curb

CURB, noun 1. In the manege, a chain of iron made fast to the upper part of the branches of the bridle, in a hole called the eye, and running over the beard of the horse. It consists of three parts; the hook, fixed to the eye of the branch; the chain or links; and the two rings or mails. 2. Restraint; check; hindrance. Religion should operate as an effectual curb to the passions. 3. A frame or a wall round the mouth of a well. 4. A hard and callous swelling on the hind part of the hock of a horses leg, attended with stiffness, and sometimes pain and lameness. A tumor on the inside of a horses hoof. A swelling beneath the elbow of a horses hoof. CURB, verb transitive 1. To restrain; to guide and manage; as a horse. 2. To restrain; to check; to hold back; to confine; to keep in subjection; as, to curb the passions. And wisely learn to curb thy sorrows wild. 3. To furnish or surround with a curb as a well. 4. To bend. [Not used.]