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trun·cate

(trŭngkāt′)

tr.v. trun·cat·ed, trun·cat·ing, trun·cates

1. To shorten or reduce: The script was truncated to leave time for commercials. See Synonyms at shorten.

2. To shorten (a number) by dropping one or more digits after the decimal point.

3. To replace (the edge of a crystal) with a plane face.

adj.

1. Appearing to terminate abruptly, as a leaf of a tulip tree or a coiled gastropod shell that lacks a spire.

2. Truncated.

[Latin truncāre, truncāt-, from truncus, trunk; see terə-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

truncate′ly adv.

trun·cation n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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