from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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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