This is the 4030th most frequent Catalan word.
curtes
"Curtes" means "short" (plural feminine form).
Here, 'curtes' is used as an adjective describing the length of the summer holidays (vacances d'estiu), indicating that they were of short duration.
Les vacances d'estiu aquest any han estat molt curtes.
This year's summer holidays have been very short.
In this sentence, 'curtes' qualifies the noun 'històries', referring to the nature of the stories as being short or succinct.
Has llegit les històries curtes del llibre?
Have you read the short stories from the book?
'Curtes' is employed here to describe the length of the sleeves (mànigues), signifying they do not extend a long distance.