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Glite Dictionary
pruning hook

pruning hook

7.2
A tool with a long handle and a curved blade used to cut small tree branches and shrubs
  • noun
  • /ˈpruːnɪŋ hʊk/
translation icon : gancho de poda
  • To keep the small trees healthy, I used a pruning hook to remove the overgrown branches.

Examples

  • The gardener carefully trimmed the shrubs with his pruning hook to shape them neatly.

  • This is a pruning hook.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • A pruning hook had brought even the most inaccessible branches under control.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Kleinhoff was already in the orchards working with his pruning hook.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • For the harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches.

    Blog text (20)

  • After years of growth, the trees needed careful attention, so I brought out my pruning hook for the task.

Synonyms

bill
vspruning hook
  • Archaic
5 8.9

A tool with a curved blade for cutting branches

has a long handle so it reaches higher branches than the hooked tool
pruner
vspruning hook
1 4.2

A tool with a long handle and curved blade for cutting small branches

is the traditional long handled curved tool sometimes fitted with a clipper
lopper
vspruning hook
1 6.2

A long-handled tool with a sharp blade for cutting small tree branches

is for smaller shrubs and delicate work rather than heavy tree cutting
billhook
vspruning hook
  • UK
9.1

A tool with a short curved blade for cutting small branches and shrubs

is meant to reach small trees with a long handle rather than cut wood

How Long

pruning hook
7.2
pruner
1 4.2

Surface Forms

pruning hook singular
pruning hooks plural

Morphology

prune + hook

The noun is a straightforward compound: 'pruning' (from prune, to trim plants) + 'hook' (a curved implement), so its meaning—an implement used for pruning—is directly derivable from the parts. This type of noun–noun/verb-derived modifier + noun construction is common cross-linguistically and follows regular English composition patterns, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Pruning hook gets its name from how it looks: a long handle with a curved blade that works like a hook to reach and cut branches. It is used for pruning, meaning 'cutting small branches' and shaping shrubs, so the name tells you what the tool does.