[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

truss \truss\, n. oe. trusse, f. trousse, of. also tourse;
   perhaps fr. l. tryrsus stalk, stem. cf. thyrsus, torso,
   trousers, trousseau.
   1. a bundle; a package; as, a truss of grass. --fabyan.
      1913 webster

            bearing a truss of trifles at his back. --spenser.
      1913 webster

   note: a truss of hay in england is 56 lbs. of old and 60 lbs.
         of new hay; a truss of straw is 36 lbs.
         1913 webster

   2. a padded jacket or dress worn under armor, to protect the
      body from the effects of friction; also, a part of a
      woman's dress; a stomacher. obs. --nares.
      1913 webster

            puts off his palmer's weed unto his truss, which
            bore
            the stains of ancient arms.           --drayton.
      1913 webster

   3. surg. a bandage or apparatus used in cases of hernia, to
      keep up the reduced parts and hinder further protrusion,
      and for other purposes.
      1913 webster

   4. bot. a tuft of flowers formed at the top of the main
      stalk, or stem, of certain plants.
      1913 webster

   5. naut. the rope or iron used to keep the center of a yard
      to the mast.
      1913 webster

   6. arch.  engin. an assemblage of members of wood or
      metal, supported at two points, and arranged to transmit
      pressure vertically to those points, with the least
      possible strain across the length of any member.
      architectural trusses when left visible, as in open timber
      roofs, often contain members not needed for construction,
      or are built with greater massiveness than is requisite,
      or are composed in unscientific ways in accordance with
      the exigencies of style.
      1913 webster

   truss rod, a rod which forms the tension member of a
      trussed beam, or a tie rod in a truss.
      1913 webster
see also:
thyrsus torso trousers trousseau truss rod 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

truss \truss\, v. t. imp.  p. p. trussed; p. pr.  vb. n.
   trussing. f. trousser. see truss, n.
   1. to bind or pack close; to tie up tightly; to make into a
      truss. --shak.
      1913 webster

            it his hood was trussed up in his wallet.
                                                  --chaucer.
      1913 webster

   2. to take fast hold of; to seize and hold firmly; to pounce
      upon. obs.
      1913 webster

            who trussing me as eagle doth his prey. --spenser.
      1913 webster

   3. to strengthen or stiffen, as a beam or girder, by means of
      a brace or braces.
      1913 webster

   4. to skewer; to make fast, as the wings of a fowl to the
      body in cooking it.
      1913 webster

   5. to execute by hanging; to hang; -- usually with up.
      slang. --sir w. scott.
      1913 webster

   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.
      1913 webster
see also:
trussed trussing truss to truss a person to truss one's self to truss up 
trussed beam 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

truss
     n 1: medicine a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to
          hold a hernia in place by pressure
     2: a framework of beams forming a rigid structure as a roof
        truss
     3: architecture a triangular bracket of brick or stone
        usually of slight extent syn: corbel
     v 1: tie the wings and legs of a bird before cooking it
     2: secure with or as if with ropes; "tie down the prisoners";
        "tie up the old newspapes and bring them to the recycling
        shed" syn: tie down, tie up, bind
     3: support structurally; "truss the roofs"; "trussed bridges"
see also:
corbel tie down tie up bind 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

67 moby thesaurus words for "truss":
   bale, band, bandage, belt, bend, bind, bind up, bindle, bolt,
   bouquet, brace, budget, bundle, bundle up, chain, cinch, deck,
   deflate, disarm, do up, enchain, fagot, fardel, fasces, fascine,
   gag, gird, girdle, girt, girth, hamstring, handcuff, hobble,
   hog-tie, knock out, lace, lash, leash, manacle, muzzle, nosegay,
   pack, package, packet, paralyze, parcel, posy, prostrate, quiver,
   roll, roll up, rope, rouleau, sheaf, silence, splice, strangle,
   strap, swaddle, swathe, throttle, tie, tie up, truss up, wire,
   wrap, wrap up

Truss >> T Words
Truss, definition of term: Truss
truss_pag1.html

Truss Bridge >> T Words
Truss Bridge, definition of term: Truss Bridge
truss+bridge_pag1.html