pruning

[ proo-ning ]

/ ˈpru nɪŋ /

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noun

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.

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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Origin of pruning

First recorded in 1540–50; prun(e)² + -ing¹

Words nearby pruning

prudish, pruinose, prune, prunella, prunelle, pruning, pruning hook, pruning shears, prunt, prurient, pruriginous

How to use pruning in a sentence

For landscapers rushing from one site to another, it’s a lot simpler and quicker to just top the crape myrtle, often with that precision-pruning instrument we call a chain saw.
It’s tree-pruning season. Here’s how to do it without resorting to ‘crape murder.’|Adrian Higgins|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
You can simply spin the dial until the tool feels most comfortable for you, then prune away.
Plant pruners to shape up your saplings|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
When I started graduate school, my adviser told me that the best work would prune the tree of knowledge, rather than grow it.
How Claude Shannon Invented the Future|David Tse|December 22, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Our brains prune away some connections and strengthen others.
Scientists Say: Apoptosis|Bethany Brookshire|November 30, 2020|Science News For Students

This winter, Tolenas is offering a new 2020 Port, a young, 100% Zinfandel ruby port harvested from dry-farmed, head-pruned vines.
The best wines for Thanksgiving|Rachel King|November 21, 2020|Fortune
Lawmaking by legislatures is also a one-way ratchet—Legislators get credit for passing laws, not pruning them.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pruning them, Peterson explains, is a science and a dying art.
The Pleasures of America’s Oldest Vines|Jordan Salcito|February 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He enthusiastically showed off his pruning technique for me and lunch with him was required.
Brunello’s King Lear: Gianfranco Soldera Reflects on the Attack on His Wine|Alice Feiring|December 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Each one represents the endpoint of a long process of winnowing, pruning and perfecting, driven entirely by the market.
Consider the Washing Machine|Justin Green|September 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I had a couple of bulletins on pruning in my pocket, with pictures of old trees remorselessly headed down.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
That afternoon I went back to my orchard, got out my shiny and sharp new double-edged pruning saw, and sawed till both arms ached.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
But our old trees, in spite of (or perhaps because of) my spring pruning, were doing fairly well.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
The trees were now beginning to show the good result of pruning and a regular irrigation.
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman
She was pruning a rose-bush with Bub's penknife, and when she heard him coming she wheeled, quivering.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine|John Fox, Jr.

pruning

Origin of pruning

Words nearby pruning

Words related to pruning

How to use pruning in a sentence