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prune

[ proon ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a variety of plum that dries without spoiling.
such a plum when dried.
any plum.

prune

[ proon ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

pruned, pruning.

to cut or lop off (twigs, branches, or roots).
to cut or lop superfluous or undesired twigs, branches, or roots from; trim.
to rid or clear of (anything superfluous or undesirable).
to remove (anything considered superfluous or undesirable).

prune

[ proon ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

pruned, pruning.

Archaic. to preen.

prune

/ ��ː�� /

noun

a purplish-black partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of plum tree
slang.
a dull, uninteresting, or foolish person

prune

/ ��ː�� /

verb

to remove (dead or superfluous twigs, branches, etc) from (a tree, shrub, etc), esp by cutting off
to remove (anything undesirable or superfluous) from (a book, etc)

prune

/ ��ː�� /

verb

an archaic word for preen 1

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Derived Forms

ˈ��ܲԲ��, adjective
ˈ��ܲԱ��, noun

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Other Word Forms

��ܲ�·��·�� adjective
��ܲ�·��·��·��·�ٲ� [proo-n, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
��ܲ�·�� noun
un·��ܲ�·��·�� adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of prune¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English prune, pruna, prum “plum, dried plum, prune,” from Old French prune, pronne, prume, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin ��ū�Բ�, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of Latin ��ū�Գܳ� “plum,” from Greek ��û(��)�Դǲ�, from a language of ancient Anatolia, where the tree and its fruit originated; plum

Origin of prune²

First recorded in 1400–50; from Middle English prouynen, from Middle French prougner, from Old French prooignier, proignier, poroindre “to cut back (vines); prune”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from unrecorded Vulgar Latin ��ō��ǳٳܲԻ徱�� “to make round, cut in a rounded shape”; perhaps a variant of French provigner “to layer vines,” a derivative of provain “scion,” from Latin ��Ǳ��岵��-, stem of ��Ǳ��岵ō; propagate; rotund ( def )

Origin of prune³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prunen, pruynen, proy(g)nen, from Old French poroign-, present stem of poroindre, equivalent to por- (from Latin pro-) + oindre “to anoint”; pro- ¹, unguent; preen ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of prune¹

C14: from Old French prune, from Latin ��ū�Գܳ� plum, from Greek prounon

Origin of prune²

C15: from Old French proignier to clip, probably from provigner to prune vines, from provain layer (of a plant), from Latin ��Ǳ��岵�� a cutting

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Idioms and Phrases

see full of beans , def. 2.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d pruned his script of every line too thematically on the nose.

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Thousands of trees across the city have been reinforced or pruned to prevent them from falling.

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I am told there may be some "light pruning" but no major changes are expected.

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However, the chancellor suggested a loss of 10,000 roles, which is only a pruning of a workforce of over half a million - especially as it sees 30-40,000 leavers every year.

From

Think of classic pairings: sautéed apples with pork chops, applesauce with latkes, or the tangy sweetness of prunes in dishes like Chicken Marbella.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

pruinose prunella

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