The difference between Abbreviate and Curtail

When used as nouns, abbreviate means an abridgment, whereas curtail means a scroll termination, as of a step, etc.

When used as verbs, abbreviate means to shorten by omitting parts or details, whereas curtail means to cut short the tail of an animal.

Abbreviate is also adjective with the meaning: abbreviated.

check bellow for the other definitions of Abbreviate and Curtail

Abbreviate as a verb (obsolete, transitive):

To shorten by omitting parts or details.
Abbreviate as a verb (obsolete, intransitive):

To speak or write in a brief manner.
Abbreviate as a verb (transitive):

To make shorter; to shorten (in time); to abridge; to shorten by ending sooner than planned.
Abbreviate as a verb (transitive):

To reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form.
Abbreviate as a verb (transitive, mathematics):

To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.

Abbreviate as an adjective (obsolete):

Abbreviated; abridged; shortened.
Abbreviate as an adjective (biology):

Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.

Curtail as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

To cut short the tail of an animal

Examples:

"Curtailing horses procured long horse-hair."
Curtail as a verb (transitive):

To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate.

Examples:

"When the audience grew restless, the speaker curtailed her speech."
Curtail as a verb (transitive, figuratively):

To limit or restrict, keep in check.

Curtail as a noun (architecture):

A scroll termination, as of a step, etc.