pruning

American  

[proo-ning] / ˈpru nɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or practice of cutting or lopping off undesired twigs, branches, or roots.

   Some pruning of your tea roses during the summer is useful to encourage growth and flowers.

2. the act or practice of getting rid of undesirable elements or excess.

   You can do this pruning of emails for an hour a day till you're down to an empty inbox.

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Etymology

Origin of pruning

First recorded in 1540–50; prun(e) ² ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Brazilian director Karim Ainouz's surreal satire "Rosebush Pruning" premiered on Saturday at the Berlin Film Festival with one of the programme's starriest casts portraying an outrageously spoiled and dysfunctional family descending into chaos.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Pruning allows both air and sunlight to move freely between the vines.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2024

Pruning of any kind does not require approval from the SDCI, but the work must be done by a registered tree service provider and meet tree noticing requirements if deemed “reportable work.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2023

Pruning, thinning and harvesting peaches must be done within a very tight time frame, Karm Bains said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2022

Pruning may be started with the dwarf Hybrid perpetuals in March—leaving four or five canes three feet in length if large masses of bloom are wanted.

From Making a Rose Garden by Saylor, Henry H. (Henry Hodgman)