[n. of agent f. AVERRUNCATE in the improper sense 2.] An instrument for cutting off the branches of trees at a height above the head, consisting of a pair of pruning shears, or a knife-blade working within a hook, mounted on a pole and worked by a string or wire.
1842. in Brande.
1864. in Webster (Averruncator, and Aberuncator).
1878. R. Thompson, Gardener’s Assist., 71. By means of an averruncator branches more than an inch in diameter and at the height of 12 or 15 feet from the ground may be cut off without using a ladder or steps.
