retrench
UK[rɪˈtrentʃ]US[rɪˈtrentʃ]
v
to reduce costs or spending in order to save money, especially during a difficult economic period.
v
to make an organization or operation smaller by reducing the number of people working for it or by closing parts of it.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
trench
re
again
trench
to cut
Etymology
the word 'retrench' entered english in the late 16th century from the french 'retrencher', which itself derived from old french 're-' (expressing intensive force) and 'trenchier' (to cut). its latin ancestor is 'retruncare', from 're-' (back) and 'truncare' (to lop, cut off). the original military sense of "to cut off, remove" evolved into the modern financial and organizational meanings. the logical progression is clear: from the literal act of cutting back or off, to the figurative act of cutting down expenses or workforce to make an entity leaner and more secure.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + trench (to cut)
re: from latin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
trench: from old french 'trenchier' (to cut), of latin origin ('truncare' - to lop, cut off). in this compound, it functions as the core verb meaning "to cut".
Examples
the company was forced to retrench after a sharp decline in sales.
during the recession, many households had to retrench their budgets.
the government's plan to retrench the public sector has met with strong opposition.