Wordiyotrench
Old Frenchcut, slice, trench
Variants
trenchtranch
About This Root
From Old French trenchier (to cut, slice). The original cutting sense survives in trench (a cut in the earth) and the military usage of trenches. Entrench means to dig in defensively — to cut a protective ditch, now used figuratively for deeply held positions. Retrench means to cut back expenses, preserving the "cutting" core.