trench
noun
[ trɛn(t)ʃ ]
• a long, narrow ditch.
• "dig a trench around the perimeter of the fire"
Similar:
ditch,
channel,
trough,
excavation,
pit,
furrow,
rut,
conduit,
cut,
drain,
waterway,
watercourse,
earthwork,
entrenchment,
moat,
fosse,
sap,
• a long, narrow, deep depression in the ocean bed, typically one running parallel to a plate boundary and marking a subduction zone.
• "the Marianas Trench"
• a trench coat.
trench
verb
• dig a trench or trenches in (the ground).
• "she trenched the terrace to a depth of 6 feet"
• border closely on; encroach on.
• "this would surely trench very far on the dignity and liberty of citizens"
Origin:
late Middle English (in the senses ‘track cut through a wood’ and ‘sever by cutting’): from Old French trenche (noun), trenchier (verb), based on Latin truncare (see truncate).
