Literal or historical act of cutting off a head; often used in contexts of execution or punishment.
Ancient punishments included beheading.
pruning; trimming plant tops
Gardening term for cutting back the top growth of plants, especially flowers and leaves, to shape them or encourage growth.
It's good to prune roses in early spring.
Standard kanji form for both senses; 截 means 'cut' and 頭 means 'head'.
Variant using 切 (cut) instead of 截; less common but still encountered.
Compound of 截 (cut) and 頭 (head). The gardening sense is a metaphorical extension of the literal meaning.