trencher

English

A plate on which food is served.

A machine for digging trenches.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman trenchour, from (French tranchoir), from trenchier (“to cut, to carve”). See trench (verb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /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.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     Mrs Partridge, upon this, immediately fell into a fury, and discharged the trencher on which she was eating, at the head of poor Jenny […]

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

Derived terms

Derived terms

• lick-trencher
• trencher cap
• trencher fly

• trencher friend
• trencher mate
• trencherman

Translations

(archaic) a long plate on which food is served

• Catalan: tallador (ca) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: πίναξ m (pínax)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Scottish Gaelic: truinnsear m

a machine for digging trenches

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• Trencher (tableware) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Trencher (machine) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• retrench

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Old French

Verb

trencher

1. Alternative form of trenchier

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. 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
gerund		en trenchant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		trenchant
past participle		trenché
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	trenche	trenches	trenche	trenchons	trenchez	trenchent
	imperfect	trenchoie, trencheie, trenchoe, trencheve	trenchoies, trencheies, trenchoes, trencheves	trenchoit, trencheit, trenchot, trencheve	trenchiiens, trenchiens	trenchiiez, trenchiez	trenchoient, trencheient, trenchoent, trenchevent
	preterite	trenchai	trenchas	trencha	trenchames	trenchastes	trencherent
	future	trencherai	trencheras	trenchera	trencherons	trencheroiz, trenchereiz, trencherez	trencheront
	conditional	trencheroie, trenchereie	trencheroies, trenchereies	trencheroit, trenchereit	trencheriiens, trencheriens	trencheriiez, trencheriez	trencheroient, trenchereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	trenche	trenches	trenche	trenchons	trenchez	trenchent
	imperfect	trenchasse	trenchasses	trenchast	trenchissons, trenchissiens	trenchissoiz, trenchissez, trenchissiez	trenchassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	trenche	—	trenchons	trenchez	—