trunk

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 linetrunkful noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • 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 — 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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

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