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re·trench¹

(rĭ-trĕnch)

v. re·trenched, re·trench·ing, re·trench·es

v.tr.

1. To reduce (expenses, for example); cut down.

2. Archaic To remove, delete, or omit.

v.intr.

To curtail expenses; economize.

[Middle French retrencher, to remove, suppress, from Old French retrenchier : re-, re- + trenchier, to cut; see TRENCH.]

re·trencher n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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