Where does “retrenchable” come from?

retrenchable (English) comes from English retrench, from English trench, from Old French trenche, from Old French trenchier, from Vulgar Latin trinicare, from Latin trini, from Latin tres, from English three.

retrenchable (English): Able to be retrenched

Definitions

  1. Able to be retrenched

Ancestry of “retrenchable”, step by step

retrenchable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English retrench

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishretrenchTo cut down or reduce; To confine; to limit; to...
2EnglishtrenchA long, narrow ditch or hole dug in the ground; A...
3Old Frenchtrenchetrench; first-person singular present indicative...
4Old Frenchtrenchierto cut
5Vulgar Latintrinicarecut into three parts; cut in three parts
6Latintrininominative masculine plural of trīnus; genitive...
7Latintresthree; 3
8EnglishthreeA numerical value after two and before four....
9Middle Englishthrethree
10Old Englishþrīthree
11Proto-West Germanicþrīʀthree
12Proto-Germanicþrīzthree
13Proto-Indo-European*tréyes

via English able

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishableEasy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to
2Middle Englishablecapable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent
3Old Frenchableable; capable
4Latinhabilisable to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient...
5Latin-ilis-ile
6Proto-Italic-elis
7Proto-Indo-European-elis
8Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “retrenchable

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes
retrenchable — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer