Curt during later sermon (5)
I believe the answer is:
terse
'curt' is the definition.
(I know that curt can be written as terse)
'during later sermon' is the wordplay.
'during' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'TERSE' can be found hidden inside 'later sermon'.
(Other definitions for terse that I've seen before include "Short and sharp" , "Succinct about trees" , "Abrupt, concise" , "Brusque among trees" , "Brief; abrupt" .)