Meanings
nounpruce (uncountable)
- obsoleteuncountablePrussian leather.
Some for Defence would Leathern Bucklers uſe, / Of folded Hides; and others Shields of Pruce.
1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, book III, page 50
Origin
- Middle EnglishPruce“Prussia”
- Englishpruce
From Middle English Pruce (“Prussia”) (whence also spruce), from new Latin, from a Baltic language, probably Old Prussian; for more, see Prussia. Compare French Prusse.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
pruce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pruce
MLA
“pruce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pruce. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pruce,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pruce.
Source: pruce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.