truss

[truhs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR truss ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to tie, bind, or fasten.

to make fast with skewers, thread, or the like, as the wings or legs of a fowl in preparation for cooking.

to furnish or support with a truss or trusses.

to tie or secure (the body) closely or tightly; bind (often followed by up).

Falconry. (of a hawk, falcon, etc.) to grasp (prey) firmly.

noun

Civil Engineering, Building Trades.

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).
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.

Medicine/Medical. an apparatus consisting of a pad usually supported by a belt for maintaining a hernia in a reduced state.

Horticulture. a compact terminal cluster or head of flowers growing upon one stalk.

Nautical. a device for supporting a standing yard, having a pivot permitting the yard to swing horizontally when braced.

a collection of things tied together or packed in a receptacle; bundle; pack.

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.

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. 2019

Related Words for truss

beam, support, reinforcement, prop, bracket, supporter, trussing, tie

Examples from the Web for truss

Contemporary Examples of truss

Most cooks these days do not, alas, truss their own roasts or carefully make cheesecloth bags to hold their soup herbs.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide
Megan McArdle
December 13, 2012
So it is that he sympathizes with the dads who have to know how to truss a chicken, for your sake.
15 Hottest Books For Dad
Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So
June 17, 2011

Historical Examples of truss

Singe and truss your chickens; boil one half and roast the other.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;
Charlotte Campbell Bury
Then truss it nicely and roast it from one and a half to two hours.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Truss it nicely, and roast it from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, according to its size.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Then truss it with string, or two skewers, in the form of the letter S.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
"Truss him up, Kenneth," he commanded, pointing to the recumbent figure.
The Tavern Knight
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for truss

truss

verb (tr)

(sometimes foll by up) to tie, bind, or bundleto truss up a prisoner

to fasten or bind the wings and legs of (a fowl) before cooking to keep them in place

to support or stiffen (a roof, bridge, etc) with structural members

informal to confine (the body or a part of it) in tight clothes

falconry (of falcons) to hold (the quarry) in the stoop without letting go

med to supply or support with a truss

noun

a structural framework of wood or metal, esp one arranged in triangles, used to support a roof, bridge, etc

med a device for holding a hernia in place, typically consisting of a pad held in position by a belt

horticulture a cluster of flowers or fruit growing at the end of a single stalk

nautical a metal fitting fixed to a yard at its centre for holding it to a mast while allowing movement

architect another name for corbel

a bundle or pack

mainly British a bundle of hay or straw, esp one having a fixed weight of 36, 56, or 60 pounds

Derived Formstrusser, noun

Word Origin for truss

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

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.

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.

truss in Medicine

truss

[trŭs]

n.

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.

v.

To support or brace with a truss.