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The Connection Between Truncate and Trees
Bushwhack your way deep enough into the literature of tree identification and you may come across references to trees with “truncate” leaves. Such leaves (as of the tulip tree, for example) have bases that are straight and even, as though they’ve been cut or sheared away from something larger. The adjectival use of truncate isn’t common—it’s mostly found in technical writing (and can also describe feathers, etc., that appear squared or evened off), but the familiar verb doesn’t fall far from the tree: it is applied when something is shortened by literally or figuratively lopping part of it off, as when someone truncates a planned speech to fit time constraints. Both adjective and noun come from the Latin verb truncare, meaning “to shorten,” which in turn traces back to the noun truncus, meaning “trunk.” So next time you’re stumped about the meaning of truncate, try to picture, well, a stump.
Examples of truncate in a Sentence
Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 May 2026
Which means their smartphone usage is truncated during the school day, during homework hours, and then it can be shut off altogether at night so that parents can sleep knowing their kids aren’t awake scrolling their smartphones.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
After three years of closures that shuttered different sections of Highway 1, truncating the 100-mile drive between Carmel and Cambria, the area has seen a surge in tourism that officials want to ensure doesn’t overrun the area.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Cooper really spent parts of three seasons with Syracuse before the Tampa Bay Lightning promoted him, while two of Carberry’s three seasons with Hershey were truncated by the pandemic.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for truncate
Cite this Entry
“Truncate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truncate. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
truncate
1 of 2 adjective
truncate
2 of 2 verb
