different between retrenchment vs retreat

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 1

From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???t?i?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Noun

retreat (plural retreats)

1. The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
2. The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position.
3. A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security.
   • 1692, Roger L'Estrange, "Fable 100: An Old Man and a Lion", Fables of Aesop, page 115

     ... he built his son a house of pleasure, on purpose to keep him out of harm's way; and spared neither art nor cost to make it a delicious retreat.

   • That pleasing shade they sought, a soft retreat / From sudden April showers, a shelter from the heat.

4. (rare and obsolete, euphemistic) A peaceful, quiet place in which to urinate and defecate: an outhouse; a lavatory.
5. A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude.

6. A period of meditation, prayer or study.
7. Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack.

8. A signal for a military withdrawal.
9. A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base.
10. A military ceremony to lower the flag.
11. (chess) The move of a piece from a threatened position.

Related terms

• retract

Translations

Verb

retreat (third-person singular simple present retreats, present participle retreating, simple past and past participle retreated) (intransitive)

1. To withdraw from a position, go back.
   1. To withdraw militar forces

2. (of a glacier) To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures.
3. To slope back.

   a retreating forehead

Translations

Etymology 2

re- +? treat

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?i??t?i?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Verb

retreat (third-person singular simple present retreats, present participle retreating, simple past and past participle retreated)

1. Alternative spelling of re-treat

Further reading

• Retreat in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• treater, tree rat

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English retreat. Doublet of retrett.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r??tri?t/

Noun

retreat m (definite singular retreaten, indefinite plural retreater, definite plural retreatene)

1. a period of meditation, prayer or study; retreat
2. a location for such activities

Usage notes

• Prior to the 2005 spelling reform, this noun was considered grammatically neuter.

References

• “retreat” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “retreat” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English retreat. Doublet of retrett.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r??tri?t/ (example of pronunciation)

Noun

retreat m (definite singular retreaten, indefinite plural retreatar, definite plural retreatane)

1. a period of meditation, prayer or study; retreat
2. a location for such activities

Usage notes

• Prior to a revision made alongside the 2005 Bokmål spelling reform, this noun was considered grammatically neuter.

References

• “retreat” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.