prune

== English == === Alternative forms === proin (obsolete) === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɹuːn/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /pɹun/ (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /pɹʉːn/ (Wales, Ottawa Valley) IPA(key): /pɹɪu̯n/ Rhymes: -uːn === Etymology 1 === From Middle English prune, from Old French prune, from Vulgar Latin *prūna, feminine singular formed from the neutral plural of Latin prūnum, from Ancient Greek προῦνον (proûnon), variant of προῦμνον (proûmnon, “plum”), a loanword from a language of Asia Minor. Doublet of plum. ==== Noun ==== prune (plural prunes) (obsolete) A plum. The dried, wrinkled fruit of certain species of plum. Hyponym: alubukhara (figurative) Something wrinkly like a prune. (slang) An old woman, especially a wrinkly one. ===== Synonyms ===== see Thesaurus:old woman ===== Hypernyms ===== fruit ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== prune (third-person singular simple present prunes, present participle pruning, simple past and past participle pruned) (intransitive, informal) To become wrinkled like a dried plum, as the fingers and toes do when kept submerged in water. === Etymology 2 === From Middle English prunen, prounen, proinen, from Old French proignier (“to trim the feathers with the beak”), earlier prooignier. Likely influenced by Middle French rogner, Old French rooignier (“cut, trim”) (from Latin rotundo?), and possibly by Old French provainier (“provine”) (Latin propaginem? whence French provigner). The relation to the noun is thus unclear. ==== Verb ==== prune (third-person singular simple present prunes, present participle pruning, simple past and past participle pruned) (transitive, horticulture) To remove excess material from a tree or shrub; to trim, especially to make more healthy or productive. (transitive, figuratively) To cut down or shorten (by the removal of unnecessary material). (transitive) To remove (something unnecessary) for the sake of cutting down or shortening that which it was previously part of. (transitive, Internet slang) To remove participation status from or contributed material attributed to users usually deemed inactive or undesirable from an interactive computer service or website for the sake of housekeeping. (transitive, computer science) To remove unnecessary branches from a tree data structure. (obsolete, falconry) To trim the feathers with the beak. (obsolete) To preen; to prepare; to dress. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === References === “proignier”, in Anglo-Norman Dictionary, Aberystwyth University, 2022–2026 “provigner”, in Anglo-Norman Dictionary, Aberystwyth University, 2022–2026 === Anagrams === Perun, unrep == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Old French prune, from Vulgar Latin *prūna, feminine singular formed from the neutral plural of Latin prūnum, from Ancient Greek προῦμνον (proûmnon). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pʁyn/ === Noun === prune f (plural prunes) plum pour des prunes ― (please add an English translation of this usage example) (slang) ticket (traffic citation) se prendre une prune ― (please add an English translation of this usage example) ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “prune”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Latin == === Noun === prūne vocative singular of prūnus == Middle English == === Alternative forms === pruna === Etymology === Borrowed from Old French prune, from Vulgar Latin *prūna, from Latin prūnum, from Ancient Greek προῦνον (proûnon), προῦμνον (proûmnon). Doublet of plomme. See above for the verb. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈpriu̯n(ə)/ === Noun === prune (plural prunes) A plum (fruit of Prunus domestica) A prune (dried plum) (pathology) A large, rounded boil. ==== Descendants ==== English: prune ==== References ==== “prūne, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 14 May 2025. “proinen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 14 May 2025. == Old French == === Etymology === From Vulgar Latin *prūna, feminine singular formed from the neutral plural of Latin prūnum. === Noun === prune oblique singular, f (oblique plural prunes, nominative singular prune, nominative plural prunes) plum (fruit) ==== Descendants ==== French: prune Norman: preune Walloon: pronne → Middle English: prune, prunaEnglish: prune == Romanian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈpru.ne/ === Noun === prune plural of prună