different between retrenchment vs redundant

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 Latin redundans, present participle of redundare (“to overflow, redound”), from red- (“again, back”) + undo (“I surge, flood”), from unda (“a wave”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???d?n.d?nt/

Adjective

redundant (comparative more redundant, superlative most redundant)

1. Superfluous; exceeding what is necessary, no longer needed.
2. (of words, writing, etc) Repetitive or needlessly wordy.
3. (chiefly Britain, New Zealand, Australia) Dismissed from employment because no longer needed.

   Four employees were made redundant.

4. Duplicating or able to duplicate the function of another component of a system, providing backup in the event the other component fails.
   • 2013, Tom Denton, Automobile Electrical and Electronic Systems, page 142:

     The two lines are mainly used for redundant and therefore fault-tolerant message transmission, but they can also transmit different messages.

Antonyms

• non-redundant

Related terms

• redound
• redundance
• redundancy

Synonyms

• (dismissed from employment): surplus to requirements

Translations

Further reading

• redundant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• redundant in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• redundant at OneLook Dictionary Search

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin redundans.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /r?.dun?dant/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /r?.dun?dan/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /re.dun?dant/

Adjective

redundant (masculine and feminine plural redundants)

1. redundant

Derived terms

• redundantment

Related terms

• redundància
• redundar

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ed?n?dant/
• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

redundant (comparative redundanter, superlative am redundantesten)

1. redundant

Declension

Synonyms

• über­zäh­lig

Related terms

• Redundanz

Further reading

• “redundant” in Duden online

Latin

Verb

redundant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of redund?

Romanian

Alternative forms

• redondant

Etymology

Borrowed from English redundant and French redondant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /re.dun?dant/

Adjective

redundant m or n (feminine singular redundant?, masculine plural redundan?i, feminine and neuter plural redundante)

1. redundant

Declension

Related terms

• redondan??