trunk — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Part of a body. The usually single, more or less upright part of a tree, between the roots and the branches.

   Synonyms

   boletree trunkstock

2. Part of a body. The torso; especially, the human torso.

3. Part of a body. The conspicuously extended, mobile, nose-like organ of an animal such as a sengi, a tapir or especially an elephant. The trunks of various kinds of animals might be adapted to probing and sniffing, as in the sengis, or be partly prehensile, as in the tapir, or be a versatile prehensile organ for manipulation, feeding, drinking and fighting as in the elephant.

   Synonyms

   proboscis

4. A container. A large suitcase, chest, or similar receptacle for carrying or storing personal possessions, usually with a hinged, often domed lid, and handles at each end, so that generally it takes two persons to carry a full trunk.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy. Mail bags, so I understand, are being put on board. Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors.

5. A container. A box or chest usually covered with leather, metal, or cloth, or sometimes made of leather, hide, or metal, for holding or transporting clothes or other goods.

   Examples

   To lie, like pawns, lock'd up in chests and trunks

6. A container. The luggage storage compartment of a sedan/saloon-style car.

   Usage

   • Canada
   • US usage

   Synonyms

   bootdicky

   Examples

   I'm a stunt; ride in the car with some bump in the trunk.

7. A container. A storage compartment fitted behind the seat of a motorcycle.

   Synonyms

   topboxtopcase

8. A channel for flow of some kind. A major circuit between telephone switchboards or other switching equipment.

   Usage

   • US usage

9. A channel for flow of some kind. A chute or conduit, or a watertight shaft connecting two or more decks.

10. A channel for flow of some kind. A long, large box, pipe, or conductor, made of plank or metal plates, for various uses, as for conveying air to a mine or to a furnace, water to a mill, grain to an elevator, etc.

11. A channel for flow of some kind. A long tube through which pellets of clay, peas, etc., are driven by the force of the breath. A peashooter

    Usage

    • Archaic

    Examples

    He shot Sugar Plums at them out of a Trunk.

12. A channel for flow of some kind. A flume or sluice in which ores are separated from the slimes in which they are contained.

13. In software projects under source control: the most current source tree, from which the latest unstable builds (so-called "trunk builds") are compiled.

14. The main line or body of anything.

    Examples

    the trunk of a vein or of an artery, as distinct from the branches

15. The main line or body of anything. A main line in a river, canal, railroad, or highway system.

16. The main line or body of anything. The part of a pilaster between the base and capital, corresponding to the shaft of a column.

17. A large pipe forming the piston rod of a steam engine, of sufficient diameter to allow one end of the connecting rod to be attached to the crank, and the other end to pass within the pipe directly to the piston, thus making the engine more compact.

Verb

1. To lop off; to curtail; to truncate.

   Usage

   • Obsolete
   • Transitive

   Examples

   Large streames of bloud out of the truncked stocke / Forth gushed, like fresh water streame from riuen rocke.

2. To extract (ores) from the slimes in which they are contained, by means of a trunk.

   Usage

   • Transitive

3. To provide simultaneous network access to multiple clients by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies.

Noun

1. the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber

   Synonyms

   tree trunkbole

   Broader terms

   stalkstem

2. luggage consisting of a large strong case used when traveling or for storage

   Broader terms

   baggageluggage

3. the body excluding the head and neck and limbs

   Synonyms

   torsobody

   Broader terms

   body part

   Examples

   they moved their arms and legs and bodies

4. compartment in an automobile that carries luggage or shopping or tools

   Synonyms

   luggage compartmentautomobile trunkboot

   Broader terms

   compartment

   Examples

   he put his golf bag in the trunk

5. a long flexible snout as of an elephant

   Synonyms

   proboscis

   Broader terms

   snoutneb