retrenchment
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
retrenchment¹
- /ɹɪˈtɹɛn(t)ʃm(ə)nt/ UK
- /ɹəˈtɹɛnt͡ʃm(ə)nt/ US
- [ɹi-] US
Where it comes from
Probably partly from both of the following:
* Middle French retrenchement, retranchement (“removal of a portion from a larger whole; reduction of expenses”) (modern French retranchement (“deduction, subtraction”)), from retrancher, retranchier (“to get rid of, remove completely; to remove a portion from a larger whole; to reduce expenses; to deprive (oneself) of”) [and other forms] + -ment (suffix forming nouns usually of an action or a state resulting from an action). Retrancher and retranchier are derived from Old French re- (prefix meaning ‘again, once more’) + tranchier, trenchier (“to cut”) [and other forms] (modern French trancher (“to slice”)); the further etymology is uncertain, but one possibility is that the Old French words are from Latin truncāre, the present active infinitive of truncō (“to mutilate by cutting off pieces; to truncate”), from truncus (“tree trunk; piece cut off”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *twerḱ- (“to carve; to cut off, trim”).
* retrench (“to cut down, reduce; to reduce expenses; to make (an employee) redundant”) + -ment. Retrench is derived from Middle French retrancher, retranchier: see above.
noun retrenchments
-
A curtailment or reduction.
It agrees that redundant services should not be continued but is not unmindful of the fact that too much retrenchment of rail services now may ultimately prove detrimental to the economy of the country.
Similar: cutting down, diminution, lessening
-
An act of reducing expenses; economizing.
Must my anxious management, my prudent retrenchments, dear Margaretta's savings, all go!
Similar: cutting down, diminution, lessening, cutback
-
An act of terminating the employment of a worker or making an employee redundant, often to reduce expenses; a layoff.
Similar: cutting down, diminution, lessening
- Withdrawal. Even then—10 long years ago—our disillusionment over past failures, our revulsion against moralistic posturing, our retrenchment from prescribing what was best for other people, our withdrawal symptoms from the exhilarations of overcommitment—all these argued for the perspective of diversity; for lo
retrenchment²
- /ɹɪˈtɹɛn(t)ʃm(ə)nt/ UK
- /ɹəˈtɹɛnt͡ʃm(ə)nt/ US
- [ɹi-] US
Where it comes from
Probably either from:
* Middle French retranchement (“defensive work”) (modern French retranchement (“entrenchment”)), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again, once more’) + tranche (“trench”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns usually of an action or a state resulting from an action); or
* retrench (“to construct one or more retrenchments; to protect using retrenchments; to fortify”) + -ment. Retrench is probably derived from Middle French retrancher, retranchier (“to fortify with trenches and banks”), from Old French re- + tranchier, trenchier (“to cut”); see further at etymology 1.
noun retrenchments
- A defensive work constructed within a fortification to make it more defensible by allowing defenders to retreat into and fight from it even after the enemy has taken the outer work. The Half-Moon is a Work always raiſed before the Baſtion's Point, being ſo named from the Lowneſs of its Gorges Cavity, &c. and is to ſecure the Two Faces of the Baſtion; but when the Faces have but a weak Defence from the Ravelin, theſe Works are ſoon made uſeleſs or ruined, and give the Beſieged a
retrenchment³
- /ɹɪˈtɹɛn(t)ʃm(ə)nt/ UK
- /ɹəˈtɹɛnt͡ʃm(ə)nt/ US
- [ɹi-] US
Where it comes from
Internal formation from retrench (“take up a defensive position”) + -ment, possibly reinforced by misinterpretation of Etymology 1.
noun retrenchments
- The adoption of a defensive and hostile posture; refusal to compromise, radicalization. Confronted by their practices again and again, these individuals and organizations in the gay community have made token gestures to appease the demands of people of color, while in the long run these confrontations have resulted in retrenchment of attitudes and stereotypes by gay whites.
Translations
Every language
noun reduction or curtailment
| Italiano | riduzione, taglio |
|---|---|
| Русский | сокраще́ние sokraščénije |
noun defensive work constructed within a fortification
| Italiano | trincea |
|---|
Talk about this word "retrenchment." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/retrenchment. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. retrenchment. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/retrenchment "retrenchment." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/retrenchment.Cite this
@misc{retrenchment_2026,
title = {retrenchment},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/retrenchment},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
