Lop

Lop

Verb / Noun · /lɒp/

Definition

(Verb) to cut off branches or twigs from a tree or shrub; to cut off a part of something, particularly with a swift stroke; (Noun) branches and twigs that have been cut from a tree. Also: lop-eared — having drooping ears.

Origin

Of uncertain origin; possibly from Low German or Dutch; the word appears in English from the 15th century in the tree-cutting sense. Related to lop-eared (having drooping ears) where lop means drooping. The financial sense of lopping — cutting from a budget or price — is a figurative extension of the pruning sense.