What does "prune" mean?
Prune: To cut off or cut out, as useless parts. Horace will our superfluous branches prune. Waller.
Additional senses
- 2.To preen; to prepare; to dress. Spenser. His royal bird Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak. Shak.
- 3.To dress; to prink; -used humorously or in contempt. Dryden.
- 4.A plum; esp., a dried plum, used in cookery; as, French or Turkish prunes; California prunes. 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 (P. domestica), which produces prunes. (b) The West Indian tree, Prunus occidentalis. -- South African prune (Bot.), the edible fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Pappea Capensis).
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00