Main Entry: trunk

Pronunciation: \ˈtrəŋk\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English trunke Anglo-French trunc, trunke, from Latin truncus trunk, torso

Date: 15th century

1 a : the main stem of a tree apart from limbs and roots —called also bole b (1) : the human or animal body apart from the head and appendages : torso (2) : the thorax of an insect c : the central part of anything; specifically : the shaft of a column or pilaster
2 a (1) : a large rigid piece of luggage used usually for transporting clothing and personal effects (2) : the luggage compartment of an automobile b (1) : a superstructure over a ship's hatches usually level with the poop deck (2) : the part of the cabin of a boat projecting above the deck (3) : the housing for a centerboard or rudder
3 : proboscis; especially : the long muscular proboscis of the elephant
4 plural : men's shorts worn chiefly for sports <swimming trunks>
5 a : a usually major channel or passage (as a chute or shaft) b : a circuit between two telephone exchanges for making connections between subscribers; broadly : a usually electronic path over which information is transmitted (as between computer systems)
6 a : the principal channel or main body of a system or part that divides into branches <a nerve trunk> <the trunk of a river> b : trunk line

— trunk·ful \ˈtrənk-ˌfu̇l\ noun