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.
Meanings
(obsolete) A plum.
The dried, wrinkled fruit of certain species of plum.
(figuratively) Something wrinkly like a prune.
We are not free when we are in the grip of the false conditioning that decrees that we need sex. We are not free if we believe the culture's ominous warnings that we will become "horny" (what a callous, offensive word) and frustrated and neurotic and finally shrivel up into prunes and have to abandon hope of being good, creative, effective people. 1970, Dana Densmore, “Without You And Within You”, in No More Fun & Games, volume 4, page 55:
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.
Meanings
(informal, intransitive) To become wrinkled like a dried plum, as the fingers and toes do when kept submerged in water.
I hardly left that spot in my pool that month even when my fingers pruned and chlorine dried out my skin. 2005, Alycia Ripley, Traveling with an Eggplant, page 111:
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.
Meanings
(transitive) To remove excess material from a tree or shrub; to trim, especially to make more healthy or productive.
But poore old man, thou prun'ſt a rotten tree, / That cannot ſo much as a bloſſome yeelde c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 191:
A good grape grower will prune the vines once a year.
Our delightful task / To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers. 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
(figuratively, transitive) To cut down or shorten (by the removal of unnecessary material).
to prune a budget, or an essay
taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed 1605, Francis Bacon, “(please specify |book=1 or 2)”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, […], →OCLC:
(transitive) To remove (something unnecessary) for the sake of cutting down or shortening that which it was previously part of.
When internal dissension and a decline in popularity set in, Johnny was pruned from the Crests. 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 229:
(Internet, transitive) 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) To remove unnecessary branches from a tree data structure.
(obsolete) To trim the feathers with the beak.
(obsolete) To preen; to prepare; to dress.
For 'tis observed of every scribbling man, / He grows a fop as fast as e'er he can; / Prunes up, and asks his oracle, the glass, / If pink or purple best become his face. 1677 (first performance), John Dryden, “Epilogue”, in All for Love: Or, The World Well Lost. A Tragedy, […], [London]: […] Tho[mas] Newcomb, for Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC:
She gins her feathers fowle disfigured
Prowdly to prune, and sett on every side. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
cy tocio (trim a tree or shrub) · as ডল (trim a tree or shrub) · ar هَذَّبَ (trim a tree or shrub) · nl inkorten ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · ga meang (trim a tree or shrub) · ota بودامق (trim a tree or shrub) · gd teasg (trim a tree or shrub) · gl podar (trim a tree or shrub) · ro curăță (trim a tree or shrub) · de kürzen ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · fi oksia (trim a tree or shrub) · eo eltranĉi ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · fi vesoa (trim a tree or shrub) · la pampinō (trim a tree or shrub) · fa هرس کردن (trim a tree or shrub) · eo pritondi (trim a tree or shrub) · gd sgath (trim a tree or shrub) · fr tailler (trim a tree or shrub) · nl snoeien ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · az qırpmaq (trim a tree or shrub) · pt podar ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · ga sciot (trim a tree or shrub) · fur cerpî (trim a tree or shrub) · sc pudai (trim a tree or shrub) · rm tagliar giu (trim a tree or shrub) · gd sgud (trim a tree or shrub) · bg съкращавам ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · he קִנֵּב ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · sv trimma (trim a tree or shrub) · fr émonder (trim a tree or shrub) · sv skära ner ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · fi karsia ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · mk ка́стри ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · de zurecht-, zurück-) (trim a tree or shrub) · dlm potuor (trim a tree or shrub) · it accorciare ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · pl przyciąć (trim a tree or shrub) · nl snoeien (trim a tree or shrub) · es podar (trim a tree or shrub) · gd bàrr (trim a tree or shrub) · roa-gal émonder (trim a tree or shrub) · cs prostříhat (trim a tree or shrub) · qu ch'aphranay (trim a tree or shrub) · mi kaikawau (trim a tree or shrub) · nb beskjære (trim a tree or shrub) · rm tschancunar (trim a tree or shrub) · es podar ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · gd beàrr (trim a tree or shrub) · oc podar (trim a tree or shrub) · mi kaikauau (trim a tree or shrub) · fr élaguer (trim a tree or shrub) · bg подрязвам (trim a tree or shrub) · ar قَضَبَ (trim a tree or shrub) · pt podar (trim a tree or shrub) · de be-, zurück-) (trim a tree or shrub) · no kviste (trim a tree or shrub) · cs prořezat (trim a tree or shrub) · it sfoltire (trim a tree or shrub) · sv ansa (trim a tree or shrub) · ar نَقَحَ (trim a tree or shrub) · he זָמַר (trim a tree or shrub) · sw pogoa (trim a tree or shrub) · ru прореживать (trim a tree or shrub) · el κλαδεύω (trim a tree or shrub) · da beskære (trim a tree or shrub) · nb beskjære ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · sv tukta (trim a tree or shrub) · io rekortar ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · ca podar (trim a tree or shrub) · it ridurre (trim a tree or shrub) · sc pudare (trim a tree or shrub) · nrf êmonder (trim a tree or shrub) · fi karsia (trim a tree or shrub) · ca esporgar (trim a tree or shrub) · la coinquō ((figuratively) cut down or shorten) · it potare (trim a tree or shrub) · is snyrta (trim a tree or shrub) · tr budamak (trim a tree or shrub) · fa خشاوه کردن (trim a tree or shrub) · ro emonda (trim a tree or shrub) · sv beskära (trim a tree or shrub) · gd meidh (trim a tree or shrub) · ar قَلَمَ (trim a tree or shrub) · ar شَذَبَ (trim a tree or shrub) · eu adaburutu (trim a tree or shrub) · gl cepar (trim a tree or shrub) · sc putare (trim a tree or shrub) · gl espolar (trim a tree or shrub) · bg кастря (trim a tree or shrub) · it ridurre ((figuratively) cut down or shorten)