prune

prune
    n 1: dried plum
    v 1: cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of; "dress the
         plants in the garden" [syn: {snip}, {clip}, {crop}, {trim},
         {lop}, {dress}, {prune}, {cut back}]
    2: weed out unwanted or unnecessary things; "We had to lose
       weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet" [syn: {cut},
       {prune}, {rationalize}, {rationalise}]
    

Prune \Prune\, v. i.
   To dress; to prink; -used humorously or in contempt.
   --Dryden.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Prune \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}).
      [1913 Webster]
    

Prune \Prune\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pruned}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Pruning}.] [OE. proine, probably fr. F. provigner to lay
   down vine stocks for propagation; hence, probably, the
   meaning, to cut away superfluous shoots. See {Provine}.]
   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.
      [1913 Webster]

            Taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be
            pruned and reformed.                  --Bacon.
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            Our delightful task
            To prune these growing plants, and tend these
            flowers.                              --Milton.
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   2. To cut off or cut out, as useless parts.
      [1913 Webster]

            Horace will our superfluous branches prune.
                                                  --Waller.
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   3. To preen; to prepare; to dress. --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

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

141 Moby Thesaurus words for "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