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The Connection Between Truncate and Trees
Bushwhack your way deep enough into the literature of tree identification and you may come across references to trees with “truncate” leaves. Such leaves (as of the tulip tree, for example) have bases that are straight and even, as though they’ve been cut or sheared away from something larger. The adjectival use of truncate isn’t common—it’s mostly found in technical writing (and can also describe feathers, etc., that appear squared or evened off), but the familiar verb doesn’t fall far from the tree: it is applied when something is shortened by literally or figuratively lopping part of it off, as when someone truncates a planned speech to fit time constraints. Both adjective and noun come from the Latin verb truncare, meaning “to shorten,” which in turn traces back to the noun truncus, meaning “trunk.” So next time you’re stumped about the meaning of truncate, try to picture, well, a stump.
Examples of truncate in a Sentence
Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Another two days in 2025 are also expected to be uncharacteristically truncated – starting with Tuesday, July 22.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 July 2025
This literally truncated the Orioles’ fan base by at least 50%.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2025
The company truncated the name to Max because Zaslav and other executives felt the need to create some distance from HBO’s signature shows to make room for the nonscripted fare of Discovery’s channels, including HGTV and Food Network.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for truncate
Cite this Entry
“Truncate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truncate. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
truncate
1 of 2 adjective
truncate
2 of 2 verb
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