trunk
the main stem of a tree, as distinct from the branches and roots.
a large, sturdy box or chest for holding or transporting clothes, personal effects, or other articles.
a large compartment, usually in the rear of an automobile, in which luggage, a spare tire, and other articles may be kept.
the body of a person or an animal excluding the head and limbs; torso.
Ichthyology. the part of a fish between the head and the anus.
Architecture.
the shaft of a column.
the dado or die of a pedestal.
the main channel, artery, or line in a river, railroad, highway, canal, or other tributary system.
Telephony, Telegraphy.
a telephone line or channel between two central offices or switching devices that is used in providing telephone connections between subscribers generally.
a telegraph line or channel between two main or central offices.
Anatomy. the main body of an artery, nerve, or the like, as distinct from its branches.
trunks,
brief shorts, loose-fitting or tight, worn by men chiefly for boxing, swimming, and track.
Obsolete. trunk hose.
the long, flexible, cylindrical nasal appendage of the elephant.
Nautical.
a large enclosed passage through the decks or bulkheads of a vessel, for cooling, ventilation, or the like.
any of various watertight casings in a vessel, as the vertical one above the slot for a centerboard in the bottom of a boat.
a conduit; shaft; chute.
of, relating to, or noting a main channel or line, as of a railroad or river.
Origin of trunk
1Other words from trunk
- trunkless, adjective
- subtrunk, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use trunk in a sentence
When Batwoman reached her fifth tree of the night, another colugo swooped in from the dark and hopped up the trunk toward her.
On a cool night in Malaysia, scientists track mysterious colugos across the treetops | Yao-Hua Law | November 20, 2020 | Science NewsGeorge Washington used one that folded out of a trunk when he traveled during the Revolutionary War.
A Camp Cot Is the Key to Sleeping Well in the Woods | Graham Averill | November 9, 2020 | Outside OnlineDry thoroughly before storing in a cool, dry place, not in your car’s trunk, where it’s dark and warm.
Hints From Heloise: Keeping reusable grocery bags free of germs | Heloise Heloise | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostI kept the Pro 65 in my trunk on sunny weekends at the crag, and after long days in the heat, the contents emerged cold.
Trees suck carbon out of the air through photosynthesis and store it in their trunks, leaves, roots, and branches.
How Amazon’s offsets could exaggerate its progress toward “net zero” emissions | James Temple | November 2, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Five and thirty livres for every head that falls trunkless into the basket at the foot of the guillotine!
El Dorado | Baroness OrczyWe now know the complete series of steps connecting elephants with ordinary trunkless, tuskless mammals.
More Science From an Easy Chair | Sir E. Ray (Edwin Ray) LankesterDr. Johnson relates the impression which the sight of these trunkless heads made upon him.
Historic Sites of Lancashire and Cheshire | James CrostonThe trunkless hands then placed the dishes on the table, and the Prince and White Cat seated themselves at it.
The Fairy Ring | VariousThe trunkless hands then placed the dishes on the table, and the prince and white cat seated themselves at it.
The Fairy Book | Dinah Maria Mulock (AKA Miss Mulock)
British Dictionary definitions for trunk
/ (trʌŋk) /
the main stem of a tree, usually thick and upright, covered with bark and having branches at some distance from the ground
a large strong case or box used to contain clothes and other personal effects when travelling and for storage
anatomy the body excluding the head, neck, and limbs; torso
the elongated prehensile nasal part of an elephant; proboscis
Also called: (Brit, Austral., NZ, and South African) boot US and Canadian an enclosed compartment of a car for holding luggage, etc, usually at the rear
anatomy the main stem of a nerve, blood vessel, etc
nautical a watertight boxlike cover within a vessel with its top above the waterline, such as one used to enclose a centreboard
an enclosed duct or passageway for ventilation, etc
(modifier) of or relating to a main road, railway, etc, in a network: a trunk line
Origin of trunk
1- See also trunks
Derived forms of trunk
- trunkful, noun
- trunkless, adjective
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
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