Truss

How to spell truss

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce truss

What does truss mean?

1. nounA rigid framework of beams or bars, typically triangulated, that supports a roof, bridge, or other structure.
2. verbTo tie or bind something or someone tightly, especially to secure poultry before cooking.
3. nounA padded support belt worn to hold a hernia in place.

Truss in a sentence

• noun

  The roof truss had to be replaced after the storm cracked two of its beams.

• verb

  Before roasting, you should truss the chicken so the wings stay against the body.

• noun

  The doctor fitted him with a truss to relieve the pressure of the hernia.

• noun

  The engineer specified a steel truss to span the wide warehouse without internal columns.

• verb

  The robbers would truss each guard with rope before opening the safe.

• noun

  An old-fashioned truss uses a pad and strap to keep the bulge from protruding.

Where does truss come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the 1200s from the Old French noun trousse, meaning a bundle or pack, alongside the verb trousser, 'to bind up' or 'to tie in a bundle'. The likely deeper source is a Late Latin form related to torquere, 'to twist', the same idea of gathering and binding things tightly together. The earliest English meaning kept that sense of a packed bundle, and only later did the word branch into the joinery sense of a rigid framework of timbers tied together to carry a roof or bridge, and into the medical sense of a supporting belt for a hernia. The very same French root gave us 'trousseau', the bundle of belongings a bride once packed, and lurks behind 'trousers', clothing that is gathered up around the legs. Because the word ends in a doubled 's' after a short vowel, the only real spelling care is remembering the second 's', much as in 'fuss' or 'truss' rhyming partners.

How the word is built

• truss (from Old French trousse: a bundle, pack)