Ads
Pruning www.aabletreeservice.com/ Experienced & certified pruner. Contact Us Today.
Pruning www.affordabletreeexpertcolv.com/ Affordable Tree Pruning Services. Contact Us Today.
noun
1.
a variety of plum that dries without spoiling.
2.
such a plum when dried.
3.
any plum.
Origin:
1300–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin prūna, plural (taken as feminine singular) of prūnum plum < Greek proû(m)non plum1
1300–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin prūna, plural (taken as feminine singular) of prūnum plum < Greek proû(m)non plum1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object), pruned, prun·ing.
1.
to cut or lop off (twigs, branches, or roots).
2.
to cut or lop superfluous or undesired twigs, branches, or roots from; trim.
3.
to rid or clear of (anything superfluous or undesirable).
4.
to remove (anything considered superfluous or undesirable).
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English prouynen < Middle French proognier to prune (vines), variant of provigner, derivative of provain scion (< Latin propāgin-, stem of propāgō; see propagate)
1400–50; late Middle English prouynen < Middle French proognier to prune (vines), variant of provigner, derivative of provain scion (< Latin propāgin-, stem of propāgō; see propagate)
Related forms
prun·a·ble, adjective
prun·a·bil·i·ty, noun
prun·er, noun
un·prun·a·ble, adjective
00:10
Prune
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
verb (used with object), pruned, prun·ing.
Archaic. to preen.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To prune
Collins
World English Dictionary
prune1 (pruːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a purplish-black partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of plum tree |
| 2. | slang chiefly (Brit) a dull, uninteresting, or foolish person |
| [C14: from Old French prune, from Latin prūnum plum, from Greek prounon] | |
| prune2 (pruːn) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to remove (dead or superfluous twigs, branches, etc) from (a tree, shrub, etc), esp by cutting off |
| 2. | to remove (anything undesirable or superfluous) from (a book, etc) |
| [C15: from Old French proignier to clip, probably from provigner to prune vines, from provain layer (of a plant), from Latin propāgo a cutting] | |
| 'prunable2 | |
| —adj | |
| 'pruner2 | |
| —n | |
| prune3 (pruːn) | |
| —vb | |
| an archaic word for preen | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | prune |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | See dried plum |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
prune
1345, from O.Fr. pronne "plum" (13c.), from V.L. *pruna, fem. sing. formed from L. pruna, neut. pl. of prunum "plum," by dissimilation from Gk. proumnon, from a language of Asia Minor. Slang meaning "disagreeable or disliked person" is from 1895.
prune
early 15c., prouyne, from O.Fr. proignier "cut back (vines), prune," of unknown origin, perhaps from Gallo-Romance *pro-retundiare "cut in a rounded shape in front," from pro- "forth" + *retundiare "round off," from L. rotundus (see round). The M.E. word may be via falconry
term proinen "trim the feather with the beak" (late 14c.), Related to preen (q.v.). Related: Pruned; pruning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
