Trunk Names a Tree, a Body, a Box and a Nose
A trunk is the main stem of a tree. The word extends to torsos, luggage, car boots and elephants.
A trunk is the main woody stem of a tree, and by extension the human torso, a large travelling box, and in America a car's boot. The elephant's trunk is the odd one out and probably a confusion: Latin *truncus* meant a tree stem, but the animal's nose was likely named by association with *trump*, a trumpet, from the sound it makes. Two words met and merged. A *trunk road* is a main route, and *trunk call* was once a long-distance telephone call over a main line.
- A tree's main stem. *An oak trunk.*
- The torso. *The body's trunk.*
- A travelling box. *A steamer trunk.*
- A car boot (US). *In the trunk.*
- Latin — *truncus*, a stem. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | trunk | A trunk. |
| Plural | trunks | Trunks. |
| Compound | trunk road | A trunk road. |
| Related | truncate | Truncate. |
| Latin | truncus | A stem. |
- Ivy covered the trunk.Tree.
- Put the case in the trunk.American.
- The elephant raised its trunk.Animal.
The truncus family
- Trunk — the main stem, and everything shaped like one
- Truncate — to cut short, leaving a stump
- Truncheon — a short staff, from the same root
- Trunk road — a main artery of the road network
- Trunking — a shared main line in telecommunications
Old French *tronc*, from Latin *truncus*, a tree trunk or torso, from an adjective meaning cut off.
Why is an elephant's nose called a trunk?
Probably from confusion with trump, meaning trumpet, blending with the tree word. The two senses merged in English.
What is a trunk road?
A main road forming part of the primary network, named from the trunk of a tree with branches leading off.