truncate
UK: trʌŋˈkeɪt | US: ˈtrʌŋkeɪt
vt. to shorten by cutting off a part
vt. to shorten (a number, text, etc.) by removing digits or characters
adj. (biology) having a square or flattened end, as if cut off
The word truncate originates from Latin truncare ("to cut off"), derived from truncus (a tree stripped of branches, hence "mutilated"). The imagery of a tree trimmed to its trunk vividly conveys the idea of shortening or removing excess. Over time, it expanded beyond physical cutting to abstract shortening (e.g., data, text). The suffix -ate marks it as a verb, aligning with other Latin-derived action words like activate or terminate.
The editor decided to truncate the article to fit the page limit.
In programming, you can truncate a float to remove decimal places.
The statue’s arms were truncated during restoration.
The film’s runtime was truncated for television broadcast.
Some species have naturally truncated leaves.