trench
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: archaeology
government
history
human-sciences
military
politics
sciences
war
Etymology: Borrowed into Middle English from Old French trenche. Doublet of tranche and traunch. Possible doublet of English: truncate
Inflected forms:
form: trenches
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: trenches
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: trenching
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: trenched
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: trenched
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A long, narrow ditch or hole in the ground; either manmade, or formed naturally through erosion or tectonic plate movement.
pos: noun
examples: The trenches for installing the underground cables were dug with a trencher.
The milling action of the bucket line enables the trencher to cut through difficult materials, such as stone rubble and brick filling, and to leave a good trench with clean side walls.
Figure 114 shows how pegs driven into the bottom of a foundation trench to establish a horizontal level for the concreter to work to, can be levelled with a boning rod held upright on the pages at either end of the trench.
gloss: A narrow excavation as used in warfare, as a cover for besieging or emplaced forces.
pos: noun
examples: The soldiers in the trenches rely on logistical support.
Following in the tank's wake, the cameliers reached the first line of Turkish trenches, where they confronted a handful of Ottoman soldiers too wounded to retreat.
gloss: A pit, usually rectangular with smooth walls and floor, excavated during an archaeological investigation.
pos: noun
gloss: A trench coat.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: I was the first person in my high school to wear a trench and fedora constantly, and Ben was one of the first to wear a black trench.
A classic trench can work in any kind of weather and goes well with almost anything.
gloss: To invade, especially with regard to the rights or the exclusive authority of another; to encroach.
pos: verb
tags: usually
examples: Shee is the Judge, Thou Executioner, Or if thou needs would'st trench upon her power, Thou mightst have yet enjoy'd thy crueltie, With some more thrift, and more varietie.
Does it not seem as if for a creature to challenge to itself a boundless attribute, were to trench upon the prerogative of the divine nature?
He could make what laws he pleased, as long as those laws did not trench upon property rights.
[O]ur ideas, therefore, must trench upon the province of tactics.
gloss: To excavate an elongated pit for protection of soldiers and or equipment, usually perpendicular to the line of sight toward the enemy.
pos: verb
examples: No more shall trenching war channel her fields.
Advanc'd upon the field there stood a mound
Of earth congested, wall'd , and trench'd around
gloss: To excavate an elongated and often narrow pit.
pos: verb
gloss: To have direction; to aim or tend.
pos: verb
examples: the reason and consequence thereof may trench to point of estate
gloss: To cut; to form or shape by cutting; to make by incision, hewing, etc.
pos: verb
examples: The wide wound that the boar had trenched / In his soft flank.
This weak impress of love is as a figure / Trenched in ice, which with an hour's heat
Dissolves to water, and doth lose its form.
gloss: To cut furrows or ditches in.
pos: verb
examples: to trench land for the purpose of draining it
gloss: To dig or cultivate very deeply, usually by digging parallel contiguous trenches in succession, filling each from the next.
pos: verb
examples: to trench a garden for certain crops
Related words: tranche
trenchant
Derived words: betrench
countertrench
detrench
entrench
entrenching tool
flame trench
in the trenches
microtrench
micro trenching
mini-trench
nanotrench
palisade trench
retrench
subtrench
trench art
trench binoculars
trench boot
trench broom
trench club
trench coat
trench cut
trench derby
trench dress
trench effect
trencher
trench fever
trench foot
trenchful
trench knife
trenchless
trenchlet
trenchlike
trenchline
trench mentality
trench mortar
trench mouth
trench plate
trench-plough
trench-plow
trench stick
trench sweeper
trenchward
trenchwards
trench warfare
trenchwise
trenchwork
Translations: