retrenchment
UK[rɪˈtrentʃmənt]US[rɪˈtrentʃmənt]
n
the act of reducing costs or spending in order to save money, especially by a company or government.
n
the act of making an army or group smaller by removing soldiers or members.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
trench
ment
re
again
trench
cut
ment
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'retrenchment' has a martial origin, literally meaning "to cut back again." it entered english in the late 16th century from the french 'retrencher', which itself combined the latin prefix 're-' with 'trencher', an old french verb for cutting, derived from the latin 'truncare' (to lop, cut off). initially used in a military context for digging a secondary defensive trench or reducing troop numbers, the core logic of "cutting back" remained perfectly apt for its later, more abstract financial application. the '-ment' suffix solidifies this action of cutting back into a formal noun, describing the state or process of reduction, whether in budgets or battalions.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + trench (cut) + ment (noun suffix)
re: from latin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
trench: from old french 'trencher' (to cut), ultimately from latin 'truncare' (to cut off).
ment: from latin '-mentum', a suffix forming nouns that denote an action or resulting state.
Examples
the economic downturn forced the company into a period of severe retrenchment.
the minister announced a retrenchment in public spending to curb the deficit.
after the war, the army's retrenchment left many soldiers seeking civilian jobs.