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trunk

trunk

50 1.9
The main thick part of a tree that has bark and holds branches
  • noun
  • /trʌŋk/
: tronco
  • The palm tree is one of those whose trunk looks like a giant braid.
  • tree trunk
  • trunk and branches
  • thick trunk

You can think of a neuron like a tree with a trunk, roots and branches with leaves.

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Examples

  • These are the big trunks that just came right up out of the soil.

  • Others had highly weathered saw scars on the main trunk, confirming reports of timbering decades ago.

    Academic text (1991)
  • As you can see down here is the main central trunk that was that original plant.

  • But we got the tree trunk out of the way.

  • Joe sits down, his back against the trunk of a tree, and closes his eyes.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Shivering, she leaned back against the trunk of the persimmon tree and closed her eyes.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Ile sagged against the nearest tree trunk, the bark rough on his face.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • There's a chestnut tree at Howards End... that has pig's teeth stuck into the trunk... about four feet from the ground.

  • The trunk of the oak tree was so thick that it took several people to wrap their arms around it.

  • During the storm, lightning struck the trunk of the old pine tree, leaving it charred and damaged.

Synonyms

tree trunk
vstrunk
19 1.0

The main hard part of a tree above the ground that holds branches and leaves

is identical in meaning but omits the explicit above ground phrase
bole
vstrunk
  • Specialized
1 9.1

The main trunk of a tree used for timber

is the general woody stem rather than a timber focused part

Compounds

19 1.0

The main hard part of a tree above the ground that holds branches and leaves

2 3.5

A cover that opens on a hinge to give access to a car's storage area

trunk line
  • Specialized
2 6.4

A main phone line connecting phone centers to carry many calls

1 5.1

A main train route that connects important towns and cities

1 3.5

A main road that carries traffic over long distances between towns and cities

trunk call
  • Archaic
1 9.8

A phone call to a place outside your local area that usually costs more

1 5.7

Main railway line that carries most trains between big cities

pulmonary trunk
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A large vessel that carries blood from the right heart to the lungs and splits into two arteries

celiac trunk
  • Specialized
8.4

Large blood vessel in the abdomen that comes from the main artery and supplies the stomach, liver, and spleen

7.5

A bundle of heart fibers that carries the signal from the atrioventricular node to the ventricles to make them contract

trunk hose
  • Archaic
9.9

Puffy short pants worn by men over stockings in the 1500s and 1600s

How Thick

trunk
50 1.9
bough
21 6.5
branch
240 1.0
twig
58 1.0

Surface Forms

trunk singular
trunks plural

Etymology

Trunk for a tree comes from the old Latin word truncus meaning 'stump' or 'main stem', so the trunk is the thick, main part of a tree that holds the branches and leaves.