prune2
- 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 prune2
Examples from the Web for pruner
Historical Examples
The height of the trunk usually depends on the whims of the pruner.
The Pears of New YorkU. P. Hedrick
The pruner should not only know why he prunes, but how the work should be done.
Pruner of coconut trees, sir, and servant of my mother-in-law.
The Social CancerJos Rizal
The pruner should leave enough spurs to supply all the fruit buds that the vine can utilize.
Manual of American Grape-GrowingU. P. Hedrick
The pruner has used two of the strongest canes to form two three-bud spurs and three of medium vigor to form three two-bud spurs.
Manual of American Grape-GrowingU. P. Hedrick
prune1
- 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
prune2
- 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)
Word Origin
prune3
- an archaic word for preen 1
Word Origin and History for pruner
prune
n.
mid-14c., "a plum," also "a dried plum" (c.1200 in place name Prunhill), from Old French pronne "plum" (13c.), from Vulgar Latin *pruna, fem. singular formed from Latin pruna, neuter plural of prunum "a plum," by dissimilation from Greek proumnon, from a language of Asia Minor. Slang meaning "disagreeable or disliked person" is from 1895. Prune juice is from 1807.
prune
v.
early 15c., prouyne, from Old French proignier "cut back (vines), prune" (Modern French provigner), of unknown origin. Perhaps [Watkins] from Gallo-Romance *pro-retundiare "cut in a rounded shape in front," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + *retundiare "round off," from Latin rotundus (see round (adj.)). Klein suggests the Old French word is from provain "layer of a vine," from Latin propago (cf. prop (n.1)).
Or the Middle English word might be identical with the falconry term proinen, proynen "trim the feather with the beak" (late 14c.), source of preen [Barnhart]. Related: Pruned; pruning. Pruning hook is from 1610s; pruning knife from 1580s.
Idioms and Phrases with pruner
prune
see full of beans, def. 2.