detrench
English
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Middle English.
Verb
[edit]detrench (third-person singular simple present detrenches, present participle detrenching, simple past and past participle detrenched)
- To cut off or slice; to sever.
- 1653, William Basse, “Urania, the Woman in the Moone: In Four Cantoes, or Quarters”, in J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, The Pastorals and Other Workes of William Basse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts, Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I), [London: s.n.], published 1870, →OCLC, canto 1 (New Moone), stanza 12, page 81:
- That I as well may furnish good mens needs / With bleſſings, as detrench th'abuſed ſtore / Of thankles caytiffes; crowne true vertues deeds / With honour, and on vice my vengeance poure.
- 1655, Edward Dod, Henry Seile, The Reign of King Charles:
- But these proceeding against him did not give plenary satisfaction to all, most cryed aloud for a Reformation in the Hierarchy it self, many would detrench from them their secular power, and votes in Parliament, name some were male-content unlesse the hole order were eradicated; and this was now vehemently pressed by the City Petition, now under consideration of the Committee: a mighty debate there was about this time in the House of Commons upon this Subject, and no arguments omitted which might officiate to either end; among the rest Espiscopacy had not a faster friend, nor the City Petition a stouter Antagonist, then the Lird Digby, who spake for the one and against the other no man to better purpose, and summarily thus.
- 1952, Eric Rücker Eddison, The worm Ouroboros: a romance, page 362:
- In which instant he beheld sidelong how the cruel murtherer smote with his spear that delicate lady, and detrenched and cut the two master-veins of her neck, so as she fell dying in her blood.
- To render something that was entrenched less thoroughly established.
- 1955, The Forum, page 2:
- They found themselves caught up in a mesh of arguments about entrenching, re-entrenching and detrenching, with all the relevant permutations and combinations.
- 1980, Sierra Leone:
- Worthwhile amendments to some detrenched clauses affecting the Judiciary in the Republican Constitution are being studied carefully, and Bills will be laid before Parliament during the current session.
- 1985, The Journal of Developing Areas, volume 20, page 106:
- How do interests coalesce, how do they achieve or fail to achieve entrenchment, how are they detrenched when their day is done?
Etymology 2
[edit]Verb
[edit]detrench (third-person singular simple present detrenches, present participle detrenching, simple past and past participle detrenched)
- To dig out and remove from a trench.
- 1979, Institution of Electrical Engineers. Electronics Division, International Conference on Submarine Telecommunications Systems:
- In some cases these cables still become damaged and this results in lengths of cable having to be detrenched.
- 1994, Oceanic Engineering Society, Oceans '94: Oceans Engineering for Today's Technology and Tomorrow's Preservation, →ISBN:
- Ultimately, the system would have the capability to carry out the complete intervention process, from detrenching a pipeline to final inspection and corrosion protection.
- 2015, Jose Chesnoy, Undersea Fiber Communication Systems, →ISBN, page 642:
- If a buried cable is damaged it will be necessary to detrench it before repair can be undertaken.
- (military) To force (an army) out of trenches, or to be so forced out.
- 1936, Henry Williamson, The Flax of Dream: A Novel in Four Books, page 748:
- Verey lights, no longer needed by the detrenched army, soared with them, descending in wavy pools of radiance.
- 1942, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, page 69:
- There was particularly heavy fighting in the Smolensk direction, where our units detrenched the enemy from their positions with a succession of counterattacks.
- 2004, Computer Gaming World - Volumes 138-143:
- keep the defense on the move and force them to detrench, defending stack at a time, to ensure a quick success for the TOP-UP infantry attack.