Definition

A person who cuts away dead or overgrown branches from plants or trees to encourage healthy growth, or a tool used for this purpose.

Example

The gardener used a pruner to trim the rose bushes in the spring.

Conversation

I just bought a new pruner for the garden.

Oh nice! Is it one of those fancy ones?

Yeah, it makes trimming the bushes so much easier.

I need to get one too; my old pruner is falling apart!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Pruner → It is formed from "prune" (from Old French *prune*, meaning dried plum) and the suffix "-er" (meaning a person who). A pruner is a person who prunes, or cuts back, plants or trees, often to promote growth or remove dead parts.

Memory Tip

Think of someone who 'cuts back' plants — the word 'pruner' comes from 'prune', which means to trim, and '-er' indicates a person doing the action.

Visually Confused Words