Past tense of curb; controlled, restrained, or limited something.
From Old French 'courbe' (curved, bent), originally referring to the curved chain used to control a horse. The verb form emerged as the device's function became metaphorical.
We still use 'curbed enthusiasm' even though almost nobody has seen a horse bridle in centuries—the metaphor is so strong that the original object has become invisible while the image remains powerful.
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