Trunk

Trunk
Trunk Trunk, n. [F. tronc, L. truncus, fr. truncus maimed, mutilated; perhaps akin to torquere to twist wrench, and E. torture. Trunk in the sense of proboscis is fr. F. trompe (the same word as trompe a trumpet), but has been confused in English with trunk the stem of a tree (see {Trump} a trumpet). Cf. {Truncate}.] 1. The stem, or body, of a tree, apart from its limbs and roots; the main stem, without the branches; stock; stalk. [1913 Webster]

About the mossy trunk I wound me soon, For, high from ground, the branches would require Thy utmost reach. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. The body of an animal, apart from the head and limbs. [1913 Webster]

3. The main body of anything; as, the trunk of a vein or of an artery, as distinct from the branches. [1913 Webster]

4. (Arch) That part of a pilaster which is between the base and the capital, corresponding to the shaft of a column. [1913 Webster]

5. (Zo["o]l.) That segment of the body of an insect which is between the head and abdomen, and bears the wings and legs; the thorax; the truncus. [1913 Webster]

6. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The proboscis of an elephant. (b) The proboscis of an insect. [1913 Webster]

7. A long tube through which pellets of clay, p?as, etc., are driven by the force of the breath. [1913 Webster]

He shot sugarplums them out of a trunk. --Howell. [1913 Webster]

8. A box or chest usually covered with leather, metal, or cloth, or sometimes made of leather, hide, or metal, for containing clothes or other goods; especially, one used to convey the effects of a traveler. [1913 Webster]

Locked up in chests and trunks. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

9. (Mining) A flume or sluice in which ores are separated from the slimes in which they are contained. [1913 Webster]

10. (Steam Engine) A large pipe forming the piston rod of a steam engine, of sufficient diameter to allow one end of the connecting rod to be attached to the crank, and the other end to pass within the pipe directly to the piston, thus making the engine more compact. [1913 Webster]

11. A long, large box, pipe, or conductor, made of plank or metal plates, for various uses, as for conveying air to a mine or to a furnace, water to a mill, grain to an elevator, etc. [1913 Webster]

{Trunk engine}, a marine engine, the piston rod of which is a trunk. See {Trunk}, 10.

{Trunk hose}, large breeches formerly worn, reaching to the knees.

{Trunk line}, the main line of a railway, canal, or route of conveyance.

{Trunk turtle} (Zo["o]l.), the leatherback. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Trunk — may refer to:In biology: *Trunk, torso *Trunk, an elephant s proboscis or nose *Trunk (botany), a tree s central superstructureIn containers: *Trunk (luggage) *Trunk (automobile), a large storage compartment *Trunk (motorcycle), a storage… …   Wikipedia

  • Trunk — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alexander Trunk (* 1957), deutscher Rechtswissenschaftler Dieter Trunk (* 1959), deutscher Fußballspieler Gustav Trunk (1871–1936), deutscher Politiker (Zentrum) und Staatspräsident von Baden Johann Jakob… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • trunk — [trʌŋk] n ↑branch, ↑leaves, ↑trunk ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(tree)¦ 2¦(car)¦ 3¦(elephant)¦ 4¦(clothes)¦ 5¦(box)¦ 6¦(body)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1400 1500; : Old French; Origin: tronc …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Trunk — Trunk, v. t. [Cf. F. tronquer. See {Truncate}.] 1. To lop off; to curtail; to truncate; to maim. [Obs.] Out of the trunked stock. Spenser. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mining) To extract (ores) from the slimes in which they are contained, by means of a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • trunk — (n.) mid 15c., box, case, from O.Fr. tronc alms box in a church (12c.), also trunk of a tree, trunk of the human body, from L. truncus, originally mutilated, cut off. The meaning box, case is likely to be from the notion of the body as the case… …   Etymology dictionary

  • trunk — [truŋk] n. [ME tronke < OFr tronc < L truncus, a stem, trunk < truncus, maimed, mutilated < IE * tronkus < base * trenk , to press together, crowd > THRONG] 1. the main stem of a tree 2. the body of a human being or animal, not… …   English World dictionary

  • trunk — [n1] body, core block, bole, butt, column, log, soma, stalk, stem, stock, thorax, torso; concepts 392,428,826 Ant. extremities trunk [n2] long nose of animal beak, proboscis, prow, snoot*, snout; concept 399 trunk [n3] …   New thesaurus

  • Trunk — »Getränk (das man gerade zu sich nimmt); gewohnheitsmäßiger Genuss von Alkohol«: Das altgerm. Substantiv mhd. trunc, ahd. trunk, niederl. dronk, engl. drink (beachte das Fremdwort »Drink« »alkoholisches ‹Misch›getränk«), schwed. dryck ist eine… …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • trunk- — *trunk germ., Substantiv: nhd. Baumstumpf, Stumpf; ne. tree trunk; Interferenz: Lehnwort lat. truncus; Etymologie: s. lat. truncus, Maskulinum, Baumstamm, Rumpf; …   Germanisches Wörterbuch

  • trunk — ► NOUN 1) the main woody stem of a tree as distinct from its branches and roots. 2) a person s or animal s body apart from the limbs and head. 3) the elongated, prehensile nose of an elephant. 4) a large box with a hinged lid for storing or… …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”