different between retrenchment vs diminution

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???t??n(t)?m(?)nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???t??n(t)?m(?)nt/, [?i-]
• Hyphenation: re?trench?ment

Etymology 1

Probably partly from both of the following:

• Middle French retrenchement, retranchement (“removal of a portion from a larger whole; reduction of expenses”) (modern French retranchement (“deduction, subtraction”)), from retrancher, retranchier (“to get rid of, remove completely; to remove a portion from a larger whole; to reduce expenses; to deprive (oneself) of”) [and other forms] + -ment (suffix forming nouns usually of an action or a state resulting from an action). Retrancher and retranchier are derived from Old French re- (prefix meaning ‘again, once more’) + tranchier, trenchier (“to cut”) [and other forms] (modern French trancher (“to slice”)); the further etymology is uncertain, but one possibility is that the Old French words are from Latin trunc?re, the present active infinitive of trunc? (“to mutilate by cutting off pieces; to truncate”), from truncus (“tree trunk; piece cut off”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *twer?- (“to carve; to cut off, trim”).
• retrench (“to cut down, reduce; to reduce expenses; to make (an employee) redundant”) +? -ment. Retrench is derived from Middle French retrancher, retranchier: see above.

Noun

retrenchment (countable and uncountable, plural retrenchments)

1. A curtailment or reduction.

   Synonyms: cutting down, diminution, lessening

   1. (specifically) An act of reducing expenses; economizing.

      Synonym: cutback
   2. (specifically) An act of terminating the employment of a worker or making an employee redundant, often to reduce expenses; a layoff.

Usage notes

Sense 1.2 (“act of terminating the employment of a worker”) is common in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa, but uncommon in Britain and the United States.

Translations

Etymology 2

Probably either from:

• Middle French retranchement (“defensive work”) (modern French retranchement (“entrenchment”)), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again, once more’) + tranche (“trench”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns usually of an action or a state resulting from an action); or
• retrench (“to construct one or more retrenchments; to protect using retrenchments; to fortify”) +? -ment. Retrench is probably derived from Middle French retrancher, retranchier (“to fortify with trenches and banks”), from Old French re- + tranchier, trenchier (“to cut”); see further at etymology 1.

Noun

retrenchment (plural retrenchments)

1. (military, dated) A defensive work constructed within a fortification to make it more defensible by allowing defenders to retreat into and fight from it even after the enemy has taken the outer work.

Translations

References

Further reading

• layoff on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• retrenchment on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• retrenchment (military) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• retrenchment (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From Middle English diminucioun, from Anglo-Norman diminuciun, Old French diminucion, from Latin d?min?ti?.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d?m??nju??(?)n/

Noun

diminution (countable and uncountable, plural diminutions)

1. A lessening, decrease or reduction.

   The new emission standards have produced a measurable diminution in air pollution.
2. The act or process of making diminutive.
3. (music) a compositional technique where the composer shortens the melody by shortening its note values.

Synonyms

• (lessening, decrease): diminishment

Related terms

• diminish
• diminished
• diminuendo

Translations

French

Etymology

From Old French diminucion, from Latin d?min?ti?.

Pronunciation

Noun

diminution f (plural diminutions)

1. diminution, abatement

Interlingua

Noun

diminution (plural diminutiones)

1. decrease

Related terms

• diminuer