# prune

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɹuːn/ · frequency rank #30,551

## Definitions
1. A plum.
2. The dried, wrinkled fruit of certain species of plum.
3. Something wrinkly like a prune.
4. An old woman, especially a wrinkly one.

## Etymology
From Middle English prune, from Old French prune, from Vulgar Latin *prūna, feminine singular formed from the neutral plural of Latin prūnum, from Ancient Greek προῦνον (proûnon), variant of προῦμνον (proûmnon, “plum”), a loanword from a language of Asia Minor. Doublet of plum.

## Easily confused with
- **pun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-pun)
- **pure** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-pure)
- **punk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-punk)
- **punt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-punt)
- **Pune** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-pune)
- **puke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-puke)
- **puns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-puns)
- **puny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-puny)
- **prunes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-prunes)
- **pruned** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prune-vs-pruned)
- **pine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pine-vs-prune)
- **pane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pane-vs-prune)
- **phone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/phone-vs-prune)
- **price** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/price-vs-prune)
- **prime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prune)
- **prove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prove-vs-prune)
- **plane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/plane-vs-prune)
- **prize** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prize-vs-prune)
- **print** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/print-vs-prune)
- **pride** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pride-vs-prune)

## Common misspellings (7)
`pprune`, `prnue`, `prrune`, `pruen`, `prunne`, `purne`, `rpune`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prune