trencher

English

Etymology

Middle English < Anglo-Norman trenchour < Old Northern French trencheor (French tranchoir), from trenchier (“to cut, to carve”). See trench (verb).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtɹɛntʃə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɛntʃə(ɹ)

Noun

trencher (plural trenchers)

1. (archaic) A long plate on which food is served and\or cut.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 2 scene 2

     No more dams I'll make for fish;

     Nor fetch in firing

     At requiring,

     Nor scrape trenchering, nor wash dish;

     'Ban 'Ban, Ca—Caliban,

     Has a new master—Get a new man.

2. One who trenches; especially, one who cuts or digs ditches.
3. A machine for digging trenches.

Derived terms

• trencher cap
• trencher fly
• trencher friend
• trencher mate

Translations

(archaic) a long plate on which food is served

• Scottish Gaelic: truinnsear (gd) m

a machine for digging trenches

Anagrams

• retrench

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Old French

Verb

trencher

1. to cut (make an incision)

Conjugation

• Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

   Conjugation of trencher (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		trencher			avoir trenché, trenchez
gerund		en trenchant			Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle
present participle		trenchant
past participle		trenché, trenchez
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jeo, jou	tu	il	nos, nous	vos, vous	ils
simple tenses	present	trenche	trenches	trenche	trenchons	trenchez, trenchés	trenchent
	imperfect	trenchoe, trencheie, trenchoie	trenchoes, trencheies, trenchoies	trenchot, trencheit, trenchoit	trenchions, trenchiions	trenchiez, trenchiiez	trenchoent, trenchient, trenchoient
	past historic	trencha	trenchas	trencha	trenchames	trenchastes	trencherent
	future	trencherai	trencheras	trenchera	trencherons	trencherez, trenchereiz	trencheront
	conditional	trencheroe, trenchereie, trencheroie	trencheroes, trenchereied, trencheroied	trencherot, trenchereie, trencheroie	trencherions, trencheriions	trencheriez, trencheriiez	trencheroent, trenchereient, trencheroient
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	past anterior	Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que jeo, jou	que tu	qu’il	que nos, nous	que vos, vous	qu’ils
simple tenses	present	trenche	trenches	trenche	trenchons	trenchez	trenchent
	imperfect	trenchasse	trenchasses	trenchast	trenchissons	trenchissez, trenchissiez	trenchassent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos, nous	vos, vous	–
		—	trenche	—	trenchons	trenchez	—