Where does “retrenchement” come from?
retrenchement (Middle French) comes from Middle French retrancher, from Old French tranchier, from Latin truncāre, from Latin truncus, from Proto-Indo-European twerḱ- — to carve, cut off, trim.
Ancestry of “retrenchement”, step by step
retrenchement traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French retrancher
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | retrancher | — |
| 2 | Old French | tranchier | Alternative form of trenchier |
| 3 | Latin | truncāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | truncus | lopped, docked; maimed, mangled, mutilated; A... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | twerḱ- | to carve, cut off, trim |
via Middle French retranchier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | retranchier | to get rid of, remove completely; to remove a... |