Truss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trussed p. pr. & vb. n. Trussing.]
1. To bind or pack close; to tie up tightly; to make into a truss.
It [his hood] was trussed up in his wallet. --Chaucer.
2. To take fast hold of; to seize and hold firmly; to pounce upon. [Obs.]
Who trussing me as eagle doth his prey. --Spenser.
3. To strengthen or stiffen, as a beam or girder, by means of a brace or braces.
4. To skewer; to make fast, as the wings of a fowl to the body in cooking it.
5. To execute by hanging; to hang; -- usually with up. [Slang.]
To truss a person or To truss one's self, to adjust and fasten the clothing of; especially, to draw tight and tie the laces of garments. [Obs.] “Enter Honeysuckle, in his nightcap, trussing himself.” --J. Webster (1607).
To truss up, to strain; to make close or tight.
Trussed beam, a beam which is stiffened by a system of braces constituting a truss of which the beam is a chord.
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