truncate

[ truhng-keyt ]
See synonyms for: truncatetruncated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),trun·cat·ed, trun·cat·ing.
  1. to shorten by cutting off a part; cut short: Truncate detailed explanations.

  2. Mathematics, Computers. to shorten (a number) by dropping a digit or digits: The numbers 1.4142 and 1.4987 can both be truncated to 1.4.

adjective
  1. Biology.

    • square or broad at the end, as if cut off transversely.

    • lacking the apex, as certain spiral shells.

Origin of truncate

1
1480–90; <Latin truncātus (past participle of truncāre to lop), equivalent to trunc(us) trunk + -ātus-ate1

Other words for truncate

Other words from truncate

  • trun·cate·ly, adverb
  • sub·trun·cate, adjective

Words Nearby truncate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use truncate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for truncate

truncate

verb(trʌŋˈkeɪt, ˈtrʌŋkeɪt)
  1. (tr) to shorten by cutting off a part, end, or top

adjective(ˈtrʌŋkeɪt)
  1. cut short; truncated

  2. biology having a blunt end, as though cut off at the tip: a truncate leaf

Origin of truncate

1
C15: from Latin truncāre to lop

Derived forms of truncate

  • truncately, adverb
  • truncation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012