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Prune vs Pruce - What's the difference?

prune | pruce |

In obsolete terms the difference between prune and pruce

is that prune is to preen; to prepare; to dress while pruce is prussian leather.

As a verb prune

is to remove excess material from a tree or shrub; to trim, especially to make more healthy or productive.

prune

English

(wikipedia prune)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) prune, from (etyl) , a loanword from a language of Asia Minor.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (obsolete) A plum.
  • The dried, wrinkled fruit of certain species of plum.
  • (slang) An old woman, especially a wrinkly one.
    • Synonyms
    * see
    Derived terms
    * German prune * prune tree * pruney * South African prune

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) 'to round-off the front'.

    Verb

    (prun)
  • To remove excess material from a tree or shrub; to trim, especially to make more healthy or productive.
    • A good grape grower will prune his vines once a year.
  • * Milton
    • Our delightful task / To prune these growing plants, and tend these flowers.
  • (figuratively) To cut down or shorten (by the removal of unnecessary material).
    • to prune a budget, or an essay
  • * Francis Bacon
    • taking into consideration how they [laws] are to be pruned and reformed
  • (obsolete) To preen; to prepare; to dress.
  • * Shakespeare
    • His royal bird / Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak.
    (Dryden)
    (Spenser)
    Derived terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Anagrams

    * ----

    pruce

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Prussian leather
  • * 1700 , John Dryden, Fables, Ancient and Modern: Palamon and Arcite , lines 30–31:
    • Some for Defence would Leathern Bucklers use, / Of folded Hides; and others Shields of Pruce .

    References

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