prune

¹prune

noun \ˈprün\

Definition of PRUNE

: a plum dried or capable of drying without fermentation

Origin of PRUNE

Middle English, from Anglo-French, plum, from Latin prunum — more at plum

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

Rhymes with PRUNE

boon, Boone, coon, croon, dune, goon, June, loon, lune, moon, noon, rune, soon, spoon, swoon, toon, tune

²prune

verb

prunedprun·ing

Definition of PRUNE

transitive verb

1

a : to reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter <pruned the text> <prune the budget>

b : to remove as superfluous <prune away all ornamentation>

2

: to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth <prune the branches>

intransitive verb

: to cut away what is unwanted or superfluous

— prun·er noun

Examples of PRUNE

1. She carefully pruned the hedge.
2. Those trees need to be pruned every year.
3. The students were asked to prune their essays.
4. The budget needs to be pruned.

Origin of PRUNE

Middle English prouynen, probably ultimately from Old French prooignier, alteration of *porrooignier, from por- completely (from Latin pro-) + rooignier to cut, prune, from Vulgar Latin *rotundiare to cut around, from Latin rotundus round — more at pro-, rotund

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to PRUNE

Synonyms

bob, crop, cut, cut back, dock, lop (off), nip, pare, poll, clip, shave, shear, snip, trim

Related Words

skive, whittle; manicure, mow; pinch, stump; curtail, shorten

Near Antonyms

elongate, extend, lengthen

prune

noun \ˈprün\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of PRUNE

: a plum dried or capable of drying without fermentation and often used as a food and as a mild laxative