Retrench

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈtɹɛnt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. To diminish expenses or workforce within a company
2. To cut down on expenses or reduce spending in an organization
3. To limit or scale back resources and costs to save money

Etymology: "Retrench" began as a military and cutting term before it ever meant saving money. In Old French, "retranchier" meant to remove or get rid of something, and it was built from "re-" (again) and "trenchier" (to cut), the same root that gives English "trench". The sense of cutting away is still visible in modern French "retrancher", which means to cut out or cut down. The French verb's own origin is uncertain. It may come from a Vulgar Latin form meaning "cut in three parts", or from an alteration of Latin "truncare", meaning to maim by lopping off pieces. Either way, the idea at its core is slicing something off. English picked up the word from Old French, and its modern financial sense, cutting back spending and resources, grows naturally from that original act of removing what is not needed. The English "trench", a long cut in the ground, shares the same root and is a close relative rather than a separate word.

Synonyms: cut back, reduce, curtail, diminish, trim

Antonyms: expand, increase, enlarge, augment, broaden