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truss

Pronunciation: /tɹʌs/

The English word “truss” has 15 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A bandage and belt used to hold a hernia in place.
  2. A structure made up of one or more triangular units made from straight beams of wood or metal, which is used to support a structure as in a roof or bridge.
  3. A triangular bracket.
  4. An old English farming measurement. One truss of straw equalled 36 pounds, a truss of old hay equalled 56 pounds, a truss of new hay equalled 60 pounds, and 36 trusses equalled one load.
  5. A bundle; a package.
  6. A padded jacket or dress worn under armour, to protect the body from the effects of friction.
  7. Part of a woman's dress; a stomacher.
  8. A tuft of flowers or cluster of fruits formed at the top of the main stem of certain plants.
  9. The rope or iron used to keep the centre of a yard to the mast.

verb

  1. To tie up a bird before cooking it.
  2. To secure or bind with ropes.
  3. To support.
  4. To take fast hold of; to seize and hold firmly; to pounce upon.
  5. To strengthen or stiffen, as a beam or girder, by means of a brace or braces.
  6. To execute by hanging; to hang; usually with up.

Etymology

From Middle English trusse, from Old French trousse, torse, from Vulgar Latin *torsus, variant of Classical Latin tortus, past participle of torqueō. Doublet of torse and trousse.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.