Prun"er (?), n. 1.
One who prunes, or removes, what is superfluous.
2. (Zoöl.) Any one of several
species of beetles whose larvæ gnaw the branches of trees so as
to cause them to fall, especially the American oak pruner (Asemum
mœstum), whose larva eats the pith of oak branches, and when
mature gnaws a circular furrow on the inside nearly to the bark. When
the branches fall each contains a pupa.