prune

1
[ proon ]
/ prun /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR prune ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a variety of plum that dries without spoiling.
such a plum when dried.
any plum.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of prune

1
1300–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin prūna, plural (taken as feminine singular) of prūnum plum < Greek proû(m)non plum1

Words nearby prune

prudentius, prudery, prudhoe bay, prudish, pruinose, prune, prune-belly syndrome, prunella, prunelle, pruning hook, pruning shears

Definition for prune (2 of 3)

prune2
[ proon ]
/ prun /

verb (used with object), pruned, prun·ing.

to cut or lop off (twigs, branches, or roots).
to cut or lop superfluous or undesired twigs, branches, or roots from; trim.
to rid or clear of (anything superfluous or undesirable).
to remove (anything considered superfluous or undesirable).

Origin of prune

2
1400–50; late Middle English prouynen < Middle French proognier to prune (vines), variant of provigner, derivative of provain scion (< Latin propāgin-, stem of propāgō; see propagate)

OTHER WORDS FROM prune

prun·a·ble, adjectiveprun·a·bil·i·ty, nounprun·er, nounun·prun·a·ble, adjective

Definition for prune (3 of 3)

prune3
[ proon ]
/ prun /

verb (used with object), pruned, prun·ing.

Archaic. to preen.

Origin of prune

3
1350–1400; Middle English prunen, pruynen, proy(g)nen < Old French poroign-, present stem of poroindre, equivalent to por- (< Latin pro- pro-1) + oindre to anoint (< Latin unguere); see preen1

OTHER WORDS FROM prune

prun·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to prune

shave, shorten, shear, snip, clip, reduce, shape, dock, lop, eliminate, gut, exclude, thin, skive

Example sentences from the Web for prune

British Dictionary definitions for prune (1 of 3)

prune1
/ (pruːn) /

noun

a purplish-black partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of plum tree
slang, mainly British a dull, uninteresting, or foolish person

Word Origin for prune

C14: from Old French prune, from Latin prūnum plum, from Greek prounon

British Dictionary definitions for prune (2 of 3)

prune2
/ (pruːn) /

verb

to remove (dead or superfluous twigs, branches, etc) from (a tree, shrub, etc), esp by cutting off
to remove (anything undesirable or superfluous) from (a book, etc)

Derived forms of prune

prunable, adjectivepruner, noun

Word Origin for prune

C15: from Old French proignier to clip, probably from provigner to prune vines, from provain layer (of a plant), from Latin propāgo a cutting

British Dictionary definitions for prune (3 of 3)

prune3
/ (pruːn) /

verb

an archaic word for preen 1
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

Idioms and Phrases with prune

prune

see full of beans, def. 2.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.