Definition of: truss

(trus) noun
1. Med. A bandage or support for a rupture.
2. A braced framework of ties, beams, or bars, usually arranged in a series of triangles, as for the support of a roof, airplane, or bridge.
3. A bundle, especially of hay or straw. In England, 56 pounds of old or 60 pounds of new hay make a truss; 36 pounds make a truss of straw.
4. Naut. A heavy iron piece by which a lower yard is attached to a mast.
5. Bot. A compact terminal cluster of flowers.
6. Archit. A projection from the face of a wall, used to support a cornice; a large corbel; a bracket or modillion.
7. A pack; package.
—v.t.
1. To tie or bind; fasten: often with up.
2. To support by a truss; brace, as a roof.
3. To fasten the wings of (a fowl) with skewers or twine before cooking.
4. To fasten, tighten, or tie around one, as a garment or laces.
5. To hang, as a criminal: with up. [<OF trusse, trousse <trousser, trusser pack up, bundle, prob. <L torca a bundle <torques. See TORQUES.]
—truss′er noun
TYPES OF TRUSSES