prune
Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. [...] Arborists, orchardists, and gardeners use various garden tools and tree cutting tools designed for the purpose, such as hand pruners, loppers, or chainsaws. [1]
The partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of the common plum, Prunus domestica. [2]
Properties: laxative, particularly if the fruit is soaked and eaten before sleeping. [...] A prune is any of various plum cultivars, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. [3]
The general rule of pruning is to always cut in a location where growth will occur, whether the cut is next to a bud or another branch. [1]
< provaignier, to cut < provain (< L propago: see propagate), a slip, infl. [4]
To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth. [2]
Prunes can be soaked in water, juice or alcohol instead of being cooked or to reduce cooking time. [...] Only certain varieties of plums are suited to being dried, such as the “French prune” (also called prune d’Agen and prune d’ente) and greengage plums. [3]
Another reason for deadwooding is amenity value, i.e. a tree with a large amount of dead throughout the crown looks more aesthetically pleasing with the deadwood removed. [1]
Slang An ill-tempered, stupid, or incompetent person. [2]
This is commonly performed in well trained plants for a variety of reasons, for example to stimulate growth of flowers, fruit or branches, as a preventative measure to wind and snow damage on long stems and branches, and finally to encourage growth of the stems in a desirable direction. [...] In nature, meteorological conditions such as wind, ice and snow, and Salt pruning can cause plants to self-prune. [...] Pruning when it’s a codominant stem:- Note the bottom of the BBR and where it meets the outside of the stem, cut where the red line is. [1]
Sources:
[1] Pruning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[2] prune - definition of prune by the Free Online Dictionary …
[3] prune: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com
[4] prune - Definition of prune at YourDictionary.com