prune Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun dried plum
  2. verb cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
    trim; clip; cut back; crop; snip; lop; dress.
    • dress the plants in the garden
  3. verb weed out unwanted or unnecessary things
    rationalise; cut; rationalize.
    • We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet

WordNet

Prune transitive verb
Etymology
OE. proine, probably fr. F. provigner to lay down vine stocks for propagation; hence, probably, the meaning, to cut away superfluous shoots. See Provine.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Pruned ; present participle & verbal noun Pruning
Definitions
  1. 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.
    Taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed. Bacon.
    Our delightful task To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers. Milton.
  2. To cut off or cut out, as useless parts.
    Horace will our superfluous branches prune. Waller.
  3. To preen; to prepare; to dress. Spenser.
    His royal bird Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak. Shak.
Prune intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To dress; to prink; -used humorously or in contempt. Dryden.
Prune noun
Etymology
F. prune, from L. prunum a plum. See Plum.
Definitions
  1. A plum; esp., a dried plum, used in cookery; as, French or Turkish prunes; California prunes.

Webster 1913