trunk

noun Etymology: Middle English trunke Anglo-French trunc, trunke, from Latin truncus trunk, torso Date: 15th century 1. a. the main stem of a tree apart from limbs and roots — called also bole b. (1) the human or animal body apart from the head and appendages ; torso (2) the thorax of an insect c. the central part of anything; specifically the shaft of a column or pilaster 2. a. (1) a large rigid piece of luggage used usually for transporting clothing and personal effects (2) the luggage compartment of an automobile b. (1) a superstructure over a ship's hatches usually level with the poop deck (2) the part of the cabin of a boat projecting above the deck (3) the housing for a centerboard or rudder 3. proboscis; especially the long muscular proboscis of the elephant 4. plural men's shorts worn chiefly for sports <

swimming trunks

> 5. a. a usually major channel or passage (as a chute or shaft) b. a circuit between two telephone exchanges for making connections between subscribers; broadly a usually electronic path over which information is transmitted (as between computer systems) 6. a. the principal channel or main body of a system or part that divides into branches <

a nerve trunk

> <

the trunk of a river

> b. trunk line • trunkful noun