truss

(trus)

transitive verb

Origin: ME trussen < OFr trousser, to bundle together, pack < ? VL *torsare < *torsus, for L tortus, pp. of torquere, to twist: see tort

noun

a bundle or pack; specif., in England, a bundle of hay in any of various unit weights
an iron band around a mast, having a gooseneck for securing a yard
an architectural bracket or modillion
a flower cluster growing at the tip of a stem
a rigid framework of beams, girders, struts, bars, etc. for supporting a roof, bridge, etc.
an appliance for giving support in cases of rupture or hernia, usually consisting of a pad on a special belt

Origin: ME trusse < OFr trousse < trousser

Related Forms:

See truss in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Medicine A supportive device, usually a pad with a belt, worn to prevent enlargement of a hernia or the return of a reduced hernia.
a. A rigid framework, as of wooden beams or metal bars, designed to support a structure, such as a roof.
b. Architecture A bracket.
Something gathered into a bundle; a pack.
Nautical An iron fitting by which a lower yard is secured to a mast.
Botany A compact cluster of flowers at the end of a stalk.