prune

• WordNet 3.6
  • v prune weed out unwanted or unnecessary things "We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet"
  • v prune cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of "dress the plants in the garden"
  • n prune dried plum
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• Interesting fact: Coffee trees are evergreen and grow to heights above 15 feet but are normally pruned to around 8 feet in order to facilitate harvesting.
• • n Prune A plum; esp., a dried plum, used in cookery; as, French or Turkish prunes; California prunes.
  • Prune To cut off or cut out, as useless parts. "Horace will our superfluous branches prune ."
  • v. i Prune To dress; to prink; -used humorously or in contempt.
  • Prune 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. "Taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed.""Our delightful task
    To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers."
  • Prune To preen; to prepare; to dress. "His royal bird Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak."
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• Interesting fact: The Agen plum which would become the basis of the US prune industry was first planted in California in 1856.
• • n prune A plum; in recent usage (especially in the western United States), a plum-suitable to be dried as a prune.
  • n prune The dried fruit of one of several varieties of the common plum-tree. The most highly reputed prunes are produced in the valley of the Loire, from the St. Julien and other varieties of plum, the very finest being known as French plums. there is a large and increasing production of prunes in California. the variety of plum chiefly grown for that purpose being identical or nearly so with that employed in France, while the myrobalan variety is the accepted grafting stock. Prunes are produced also in Spain and Portugal. German prunes are largely produced, though of second quality. Bosnia and Servia export large quantities. Prunes are stewed as a sauce, or otherwise prepared, and are valued for their nutritious, demulcent, and laxative properties.
  • prune To lop superfluous twigs or branches from (a vine, bush, or tree); trim with a knife.
  • prune To lop off as superfluous or injurious; remove by cutting.
  • prune To clear from anything superfluous: remove what is superfluous or objectionable from.
  • prune To dress or trim, as birds their feathers; preen: also used figuratively.
  • prune To lop off superfluous twigs or branches, as from a vine, bush, or tree.
  • prune To arrange or dress the feathers with the bill: said of birds, and also used figuratively.
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• • v.t Prune prōōn to trim by lopping off superfluous parts: to divest of anything superfluous: to arrange or dress feathers, as birds do
  • n Prune prōōn a plum, esp. a dried plum
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• Francis Bacon

  

  “Natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study.”
• John Trapp

  

  “Better to be pruned to grow than cut up to burn.”
• Thomas J. Peters

  

  “Give a lot, expect a lot, and if you don't get it, prune.”

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