Dictionary

despine en · VERB

Etymology

From de- + spine.

Meanings

1. To remove the spines from a plant.
   • The carrot seed is first put through a despining machine, where the spine is broken through some sort of rubbing action. 2004, Babasaheb B. Desai, Seeds Handbook: Processing And Storage:
   • Three specimens are partially decorticated. One of these items is not longitudinally split but is despined while another is longitudinally split into quarters and is despined. The last Yucca thomsoniana specimen is longitudinally split into less than quarter-sized segments and is despined. 1999, Perishable Industries from Hinds Cave, Val Verde County, Texas:
   • Prickly pears, known as tunas in Spanish, produce deliciously juicy fruits. They are sometimes available in Southwestern markets, or can be picked straight off the plants—but take care not to prick your fingers on the spines. (Those for sale in stores have been despined.) 2002, Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, page 22:

Forms