好词典

prune

UK //pruːn//US //pruːn//

词源

来自古法语 'prune'(李子),源自拉丁语 'prunum',最终源于希腊语 'proumnon'。动词意义由名词引申而来,因修剪树木常涉及去除多余部分,类似于从树上摘李子。

noun

❶ 指晒干的李子或梅子,通常用作零食或烹饪原料,味道甜而略带酸味。

“She added some prunes to the cake batter for extra sweetness.”

(她在蛋糕面糊里加了一些李子干,增加甜味。)

“Prunes are often recommended for digestive health.”

(李子干常被推荐用于促进消化健康。)

同义词:dried plum, preserved plum

verb

❶ 修剪植物,如树木或灌木,通过剪掉多余的枝叶来促进健康生长或改善形状。

“He pruned the rose bushes to encourage more blooms.”

(他修剪了玫瑰丛,以促进更多开花。)

“It's best to prune fruit trees in late winter.”

(最好在冬末修剪果树。)

❶ 比喻性地指减少或精简某物,如预算、计划或内容,使其更高效或简洁。

“The company pruned unnecessary expenses to save money.”

(公司削减了不必要的开支以节省资金。)

“The editor pruned the article to make it more concise.”

(编辑删减了文章使其更简洁。)

同义词:trim, cut back, reduce, streamline

常见短语

prune back — 指大幅修剪植物或大幅削减某物,通常用于强调减少的程度较大。

“They pruned back the budget by 30% this year.”

(他们今年将预算削减了30%。)