I. ˈtrəŋk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English trunke, tronke chest, box, trunk, from Middle French tronc, from Latin truncus trunk of a tree, torso, shaft of a column
1.
a. : the main stem of a tree apart from its limbs and roots
b.
(1) : the human body apart from the head and appendages
(2) obsolete : body
c.
(1) : the thorax of an insect
(2) : the body of a fish from the operculum to the anus
d. : the central part of anything ; specifically : the shaft of a column or pilaster
2.
a.
(1) : a box or tank for keeping fish alive after they are caught
(2) dialect Britain : hoop net
b. obsolete : an ornamental chest (as a jewel casket) or a box (as a packing case) used for storage
c.
(1) : a piece of luggage that has a rigid frame, that is too large to be carried by hand, and that is used usually for transporting a traveler's clothing and other personal effects
(2) : the luggage compartment of an automobile
d.
(1) : a superstructure over a ship's hatches usually level with the poop deck, extending from one half to three quarters of the length of the ship, and having the main deck carried around it
(2) : the roof and upper part of the sides of the cabin of a boat projecting above the deck
(3) : the housing for a centerboard or rudder — see centerboard illustration
3.
a. : pipe , tube — compare trunk engine
b. : proboscis ; especially : the long muscular tubular extension of the nose of the elephant having the nostrils at its tip, serving as a prehensile organ either by coiling about an object to be seized or by the use of a small movable grasping process at its extremity, and used especially to convey food or drink to the mouth and as a weapon
c. or trunk glass obsolete : telescope
4. trunks plural
a. obsolete : trunk hose
b. archaic : breeches, knickerbockers
c. : men's shorts worn chiefly for sports
5.
a. : a passage or duct (as a wooden box conduit for carrying air to mine workings)
b. : launder
c. : wind-trunk
d.
(1) : a vertical shaft between decks (as a casing for access or ventilation)
(2) : a chute for loading or coaling a ship
6.
a. : the principal channel of a tributary system
nerve trunk
trunk of a river
trunk of an artery
b. : a circuit between two telephone exchanges or telephone switching devices for making connections between subscribers
c. : trunk line
II. adjective
1.
a. : of, relating to, or resembling a box or trunk
trunk lid
trunk load
trunk buoy
b. : used for storing luggage
trunk compartment
2.
a. : of or relating to the torso
determining trunk height … of these pygmies — American Anthropologist
b. : of or relating to a tree trunk
trunk borer
3. : having or consisting of a tube
trunk piston
4. : having, using, or controlling the flow in a duct or chute
trunk machine
5. : of, relating to, or constituting a primary segment or principal channel
trunk road
trunk stream
trunk pipeline
trunk wire of a teletype service
trunk airline
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to enclose in a trunk or casing