truss

truss
    n 1: (medicine) a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to
         hold a hernia in place by pressure
    2: a framework of beams (rafters, posts, struts) forming a rigid
       structure that supports a roof or bridge or other structure
    3: (architecture) a triangular bracket of brick or stone
       (usually of slight extent) [syn: {corbel}, {truss}]
    v 1: tie the wings and legs of a bird before cooking it
    2: secure with or as if with ropes; "tie down the prisoners";
       "tie up the old newspapers and bring them to the recycling
       shed" [syn: {tie down}, {tie up}, {bind}, {truss}]
    3: support structurally; "truss the roofs"; "trussed bridges"
    

Truss \Truss\, n. [OE. trusse, F. trousse, OF. also tourse;
   perhaps fr. L. tryrsus stalk, stem. Cf. {Thyrsus}, {Torso},
   {Trousers}, {Trousseau}.]
   1. A bundle; a package; as, a truss of grass. --Fabyan.
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            Bearing a truss of trifles at his back. --Spenser.
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   Note: A truss of hay in England is 56 lbs. of old and 60 lbs.
         of new hay; a truss of straw is 36 lbs.
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   2. A padded jacket or dress worn under armor, to protect the
      body from the effects of friction; also, a part of a
      woman's dress; a stomacher. [Obs.] --Nares.
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            Puts off his palmer's weed unto his truss, which
            bore
            The stains of ancient arms.           --Drayton.
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   3. (Surg.) A bandage or apparatus used in cases of hernia, to
      keep up the reduced parts and hinder further protrusion,
      and for other purposes.
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   4. (Bot.) A tuft of flowers formed at the top of the main
      stalk, or stem, of certain plants.
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   5. (Naut.) The rope or iron used to keep the center of a yard
      to the mast.
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   6. (Arch. & Engin.) An assemblage of members of wood or
      metal, supported at two points, and arranged to transmit
      pressure vertically to those points, with the least
      possible strain across the length of any member.
      Architectural trusses when left visible, as in open timber
      roofs, often contain members not needed for construction,
      or are built with greater massiveness than is requisite,
      or are composed in unscientific ways in accordance with
      the exigencies of style.
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   {Truss rod}, a rod which forms the tension member of a
      trussed beam, or a tie rod in a truss.
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Truss \Truss\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Trussed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Trussing}.] [F. trousser. See {Truss}, n.]
   1. To bind or pack close; to tie up tightly; to make into a
      truss. --Shak.
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            It [his hood] was trussed up in his wallet.
                                                  --Chaucer.
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   2. To take fast hold of; to seize and hold firmly; to pounce
      upon. [Obs.]
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            Who trussing me as eagle doth his prey. --Spenser.
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   3. To strengthen or stiffen, as a beam or girder, by means of
      a brace or braces.
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   4. To skewer; to make fast, as the wings of a fowl to the
      body in cooking it.
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   5. To execute by hanging; to hang; -- usually with up.
      [Slang.] --Sir W. Scott.
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   {To truss a person} or {To truss one's self}, to adjust and
      fasten the clothing of; especially, to draw tight and tie
      the laces of garments. [Obs.] "Enter Honeysuckle, in his
      nightcap, trussing himself." --J. Webster (1607).

   {To truss up}, to strain; to make close or tight.

   {Trussed beam}, a beam which is stiffened by a system of
      braces constituting a truss of which the beam is a chord.
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67 Moby Thesaurus words for "truss":
      bale, band, bandage, belt, bend, bind, bind up, bindle, bolt,
      bouquet, brace, budget, bundle, bundle up, chain, cinch, deck,
      deflate, disarm, do up, enchain, fagot, fardel, fasces, fascine,
      gag, gird, girdle, girt, girth, hamstring, handcuff, hobble,
      hog-tie, knock out, lace, lash, leash, manacle, muzzle, nosegay,
      pack, package, packet, paralyze, parcel, posy, prostrate, quiver,
      roll, roll up, rope, rouleau, sheaf, silence, splice, strangle,
      strap, swaddle, swathe, throttle, tie, tie up, truss up, wire,
      wrap, wrap up