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AVERRUNCATOR
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AVERRUNCATOR, a form of long shears used in arboriculture for•"averruncating" or pruning off the higher branches of trees, &c. The word " averruncate " (from Lat. averruncare, to ward off, remove mischief) glided into meaning to " weed the ground," " prune vines," &c., by a supposed derivation from the Lat. ab, off, and eruncare, to weed out, and it was spelt " aberuncate " to suit this ; but the New English Dictionary regards such a derivation as impossible.