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truss

[truhs]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to tie, bind, or fasten.
  2. to make fast with skewers, thread, or the like, as the wings or legs of a fowl in preparation for cooking.
  3. to furnish or support with a truss or trusses.
  4. to tie or secure (the body) closely or tightly; bind (often followed by up).
  5. Falconry. (of a hawk, falcon, etc.) to grasp (prey) firmly.
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noun
  1. Civil Engineering, Building Trades.
    1. any of various structural frames based on the geometric rigidity of the triangle and composed of straight members subject only to longitudinal compression, tension, or both: functions as a beam or cantilever to support bridges, roofs, etc.Compare complete(def 8), incomplete(def 3), redundant(def 5c).
    2. any of various structural frames constructed on principles other than the geometric rigidity of the triangle or deriving stability from other factors, as the rigidity of joints, the abutment of masonry, or the stiffness of beams.
  2. Medicine/Medical. an apparatus consisting of a pad usually supported by a belt for maintaining a hernia in a reduced state.
  3. Horticulture. a compact terminal cluster or head of flowers growing upon one stalk.
  4. Nautical. a device for supporting a standing yard, having a pivot permitting the yard to swing horizontally when braced.
  5. a collection of things tied together or packed in a receptacle; bundle; pack.
  6. Chiefly British. a bundle of hay or straw, especially one containing about 56 pounds (25.4 kg) of old hay, 60 pounds (27.2 kg) of new hay, or 36 pounds (16.3 kg) of straw.
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Origin of truss

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English trussen < Old French tr(o)usser, variant of torser, probably < Vulgar Latin *torsāre, derivative of *torsus, for Latin tortus past participle of torquere to twist, wind, wrap; (noun) Middle English: bundle < Old French trousse, torse, derivative of torser
Related formstruss·er, nounun·der·truss, verb (used with object)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for truss

truss

verb (tr)
  1. (sometimes foll by up) to tie, bind, or bundleto truss up a prisoner
  2. to fasten or bind the wings and legs of (a fowl) before cooking to keep them in place
  3. to support or stiffen (a roof, bridge, etc) with structural members
  4. informal to confine (the body or a part of it) in tight clothes
  5. falconry (of falcons) to hold (the quarry) in the stoop without letting go
  6. med to supply or support with a truss
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noun
  1. a structural framework of wood or metal, esp one arranged in triangles, used to support a roof, bridge, etc
  2. med a device for holding a hernia in place, typically consisting of a pad held in position by a belt
  3. horticulture a cluster of flowers or fruit growing at the end of a single stalk
  4. nautical a metal fitting fixed to a yard at its centre for holding it to a mast while allowing movement
  5. architect another name for corbel
  6. a bundle or pack
  7. mainly British a bundle of hay or straw, esp one having a fixed weight of 36, 56, or 60 pounds
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Derived Formstrusser, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French trousse, from trousser, apparently from Vulgar Latin torciāre (unattested), from torca (unattested) a bundle, torch
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

Word Origin and History for truss

n.

c.1200, "collection of things bound together," from Old French trousse, torse, of unknown origin, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *torciare "to twist." Meaning "surgical appliance to support a rupture, etc." first attested 1540s. Sense of "framework for supporting a roof or bridge" is first recorded 1650s.

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v.

c.1200, "to load, load up," from Anglo-French trusser, Old French trusser "to load, pack, fasten" (11c.), from Old French trousse (see truss (n.)). Related: Trussed; trussing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
truss in Medicine

truss

(trŭs)
n.
  1. A supportive device, usually consisting of a pad with a belt, worn to prevent enlargement of a hernia or the return of a reduced hernia.
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v.
  1. To support or brace with a truss.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.