retrenchment
retrenchment Lexical Profile
retrenchment Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The reduction of costs, spending, or operations in response to economic difficulty, often involving the termination of employees or scaling back of services.
"During the economic downturn, the university underwent a period of financial retrenchment that froze faculty hiring."
An inner defensive work or trench constructed behind a main fortification line to provide continued protection if the outer wall is breached.
"The seventeenth-century citadel featured an earthen retrenchment designed to slow any advancing siege."
• Rhymes for retrenchment
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from French retranchement, derived from retrancher ('to cut back or pare down'), originally used in military fortification before shifting to financial cost-cutting.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.