Prune

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Prune, v. t. [OE. proine, probably fr. F. provigner to lay down vine stocks for propagation; hence, probably, the meaning, to cut away superfluous shoots. See Provine.].

•  To lop or cut off the superfluous parts, branches, or shoots of; to clear of useless material; to shape or smooth by trimming; to trim: as, to prune trees; to prune an essay.  Thackeray.  [1913 Webster]

  "Taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed."  [1913 Webster]

  "Our delightful task
  To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers."  [1913 Webster]
•  To cut off or cut out, as useless parts.  [1913 Webster]

  "Horace will our superfluous branches prune."  [1913 Webster]
•  To preen; to prepare; to dress.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]

  "His royal bird
  Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak."  [1913 Webster]

Prune, v. i. 

 To dress; to prink; -used humorously or in contempt.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]

Prune, n. [F. prune, from L. prunum a plum. See Plum.].

 A plum; esp., a dried plum, used in cookery; as, French or Turkish prunes; California prunes.  [1913 Webster]

German prune (Bot.), a large dark purple plum, of oval shape, often one-sided. It is much used for preserving, either dried or in sirup. -- Prune tree. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Prunus (Prunus domestica), which produces prunes. (b) The West Indian tree, Prunus occidentalis. -- South African prune (Bot.), the edible fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Pappea Capensis).

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Prune, n.
1 a dried plum.
2 colloq. a silly or disliked person.

Prune, v.tr.
1 a (often foll. by down) trim (a tree etc.) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches etc. b (usu. foll. by off, away) lop (branches etc.) from a tree.
2 reduce (costs etc.) (must try to prune expenses).
3 a (often foll. by of) clear (a book etc.) of superfluities. b remove (superfluities).

Idiom

pruning-hook a long-handled hooked cutting tool used for pruning.

Derivative

pruner n.

Etymology

ME prouyne f. OF pro(o)ignier ult. f. L rotundus ROUND

THESAURUS

Prune

abbreviate, abridge, abscind, abstract, amputate, annihilate, ax, backset, ban, bar, bisect, blockhead, bob, boil down, brash, butcher, capsulize, carve, chop, chump, cleave, clip, compress, condense, contract, crop, cull, cultivate, culture, curtail, cut, cut away, cut back, cut down, cut in two, cut off, cut off short, cut out, cut short, delve, dichotomize, dig, dimwit, dissever, dock, dolt, dope, dress, dumbbell, elide, eliminate, enucleate, epitomize, eradicate, except, excise, exclude, extinguish, extirpate, fallow, fertilize, fissure, force, foreshorten, gash, hack, halve, harrow, hew, hoe, idiot, ignoramus, incise, isolate, jigsaw, knock off, lance, list, lop, moron, mow, mulch, mutilate, nip, pare, peel, pick out, plow, poll, pollard, rake, reap, recap, recapitulate, reduce, rend, retrench, rive, root out, rule out, saw, scissor, set apart, set aside, sever, shave, shear, shorten, skive, slash, slice, slit, snip, snub, spade, split, stamp out, strike off, strip, strip off, stunt, sum up, summarize, sunder, synopsize, take in, take off, take out, tear, telescope, thin, thin out, till, till the soil, trim, truncate, weed, weed out, whittle, wipe out, work

ROGET THESAURUS

Prune

Improvement

VB improve, be better, become better, get better, mend, amend, advance, ascend, increase, fructify, ripen, mature, pick up, come about, rally, take a favorable turn, turn over a new leaf, turn the corner, raise one's head, sow one's wild oats, recover, be better, be improved by, turn to right account, turn to good account, turn to best account, profit by, reap the benefit of, make good use of, make capital out of, place to good account, render better, improve, mend, amend, better, ameliorate, meliorate, correct, decrassify, improve upon, refine upon, rectify, enrich, mellow, elaborate, fatten, promote, cultivate, advance, forward, enhance, bring forward, bring on, foster, invigorate, touch up, rub up, brush up, furbish up, bolster up, vamp up, brighten up, warm up, polish, cook, make the most of, set off to advantage, prune, repair, put in order, review, revise, make corrections, make improvements, doctor, purify, relieve, refresh, infuse new blood into, recruit, reform, remodel, reorganize, new model, view in a new light, think better of, appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, palliate, mitigate, lessen an evil.

Subtraction

VB subduct, subtract, deduct, deduce, bate, retrench, remove, withdraw, take from, take away, detract, garble, mutilate, amputate, detruncate, cut off, cut away, cut out, abscind, excise, pare, thin, prune, decimate, abrade, scrape, file, geld, castrate, eliminate, diminish, curtail, deprive of, weaken.

Shortness

VB be short, render short, shorten, curtail, abridge, abbreviate, take in, reduce, compress, epitomize, retrench, cut short, obtruncate, scrimp, cut, chop up, hack, hew, cut down, pare down, clip, dock, lop, prune, shear, shave, mow, reap, crop, snub, truncate, pollard, stunt, nip, check the growth of, foreshorten (in drawing).