v. & adj.
v.tr. 1 cut the top or the end from (a tree, a body, a piece of writing, etc.). 2 Crystallog. replace (an edge or an angle) by a plane.
adj. Bot. & Zool. (of a leaf or feather etc.) ending abruptly as if cut off at the base or tip. truncately adv. truncation n.
[ L truncare truncat- maim ]