Lewis & Short

1. truncus, a, um, adj [root tark-, truc-, to break, tear; cf. torqueo], maimed, mutilated, mangled, dismembered, disfigured, deprived of some of its parts (mostly poet. and perh. not ante-Aug.; syn.: mutilus, mancus).

  1. I. Lit.: trunca manu pinus regit (Polyphemum), i. e. the trunk of a pinetree, Verg. A. 3, 659: trunca illa et retorrida manus Mucii, Sen. Ep. 66, 51: nemora, i. e. trees stripped of their branches, Stat. Th. 4, 455: truncas mhonesto vulnere nares, Verg. A. 6, 497: vultus naribus auribusque, Mart. 2, 83, 3: frons, deprived of its horn, Ov. M. 9, 1; 9, 86; Sil. 3, 42: frontem lumina truncam, deprived of its eyes, id. 9, 400: bracchia non habuit, truncoque repandus in undas Corpore desiluit, deprived of its limbs, Ov. M. 3, 680; cf. Just. 2, 9, 19: puerum trunci corporis in agro Romano natum, Liv. 41, 9, 5: varie ex integris truncos gigni, ex truncis integros, Plin. 7, 11, 10, § 50: tela, i.e. broken in pieces, Verg. A. 11, 9; cf.: trunci enses et fractae hastae, Stat. Th. 2, 711: truncum lignum, i. e. hasta fracta, Val. Fl. 6, 251: membra carmae, Ov M. 11, 560; cf. alnus, without oars, Val. Fl. 2, 300: truncae atque mutilae litterae, Gell. 17, 9, 12: exta, Val. Max. 1, 6, 9.
          1. (β) Poet., with gen.: animalia trunca pedum, without feet, Verg. G. 4, 310: truncus capitis, Sil 10, 311.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. Of things, not developed, imperfect, or wanting in their parts: quaedam imperfecta (animalia) suisque Trunca vident numeris, Ov. M. 1, 428: ranae pedibus, id. ib. 15, 376: ipse (nanus) jactabat truncas manus, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 42
      2. 2. Of members cut off: bracchia, Val. Fl. 4, 181: manus, Sen. Contr 1, 4.
  2. II. Trop., maimed, mutilated: (Capua) urbs trunca, sine senatu, sine plebe, sine magistratibus, Liv. 31, 29, 11: pecus, without a leader, Stat. Th. 5, 333: manus vero, sine quibus trunca esset actio ac debilis, vix dici potest, quot motus habeant, Quint. 11, 3, 85: trunca et debilis medicina (sine rerum naturae cognitione), Cels. praef.: sermo (volucrum), Stat. Th. 12, 478: trunca quaedam ex Menandro, fragments, Gell. 2, 23, 21.
    Hence, subst.: