Also 4–7 trenche, (6 trenshe, Sc. treinch, trinch, -e, trynsch(e, trinsch(e, 7 trintch). See also TRANCHE. [a. OF. trenche (1288 in Godef.), later OF. and mod.F. tranche, an act of cutting, a cut, a gash; a ditch or trench; a slice, etc., verbal sb. from OF. trenchier, F. trancher to cut, TRENCH v. See also TRANCHE. Many of the Eng. senses, wanting or obs. in mod.F., are supplied by tranchée.]
† 1. A path or track cut through a wood or forest; an alley; a hollow walk. Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sqr.’s T., 384. And in a trench [v.r. trenche] forth in the park gooth she.
c. 1420. Lydg., Thebes, I. in Chaucer’s Wks. (1561), 338/2. As thei rengen the trenches by and by Thei heard a noise.
1575. Turberv., Venerie, 98. By this word Trench is vnderstoode euery small way, not so commonly vsed…. So is there also a difference betweene a Trench and a path. For trenches as I say, be wayes and walkes in a woode or Forest.
2. A long and narrow hollow cut out of the ground, a cutting; a ditch, fosse; a deep furrow. Also fig.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of A., I. ix. 23. To lepen ouer trenchis or dyches.
1553. Eden, Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.), 13. They moued neare vnto the trenche or ditche of the castell.
1677. Yarranton, Eng. Improv., 192. The River Dee must be carried in a large Cut or Trench through the lands … as far as Flint Castle, and then dropt by a large Cut, into the Deep Water below the Brewhouse.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, VII. vi. How deep a trench of real misery do you sink, in order to raise this pile of fancied happiness!
1842. Tennyson, Audley Court, 41. Be shot for sixpence in a battle-field, And shovell’d up into some bloody trench.
1911. J. Ward, Roman Era in Brit., viii. 140. A single trench disclosed broken pottery and charcoal.
3. Mil. An excavation of this kind, the earth from which is thrown up in front as a parapet, serving either to cover or to oppose the advance of a besieging force. Chiefly in plural. a. More particularly applied to the ditch or excavation.
c. 1500. Three Kings Sons, 42. That ther might be made grete trenches, that ther might be grete nombre of people hid theryn.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. xvii. 104. Thai … delvys trynschis all the wallis abowt.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. V., 74 b. They without made mynes, cast trenches and shot gunnes dayly at the walles.
1623. Massinger, Bondman, II. i. There are trenches too … In which to stand all night to the knees in water In gallants breeds the tooth-ache.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., II. 103/2. When this excavation is behind the mound it is called a trench.
b. pl. Including both the excavation and the mound or embankment: see quot. 1828. To mount, relieve the trenches: see quot. 1706. To open trenches: see OPEN v. 4 b, quot. 1853.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., I. xvii. 20. [They] did in the meane space diligently aduaunce their trenches and approaches for planting of their ordinance.
1607. Shaks., Cor., I. vi. 12. I saw our party to their Trenches driuen.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., XIII. § 22. Cromwell knew them too well to fear them … when there were no Trenches … to keep him from them.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), s.v., Trenches are Works … either cut into the Ground … or else raised above it when rocky, with Bavins, Wooll-packs, Bags or Baskets filled with Earth. Ibid., To Mount the Trenches, is to go upon Duty in them. To Relieve the Trenches, is to relieve those that have been upon Duty there.
1777. Watson, Philip II. (1839), 95. By the advice of Dragut he resolved to extend his trenches and batteries, on the side next to the town.
1828. J. M. Spearman, Brit. Gunner (ed. 2), 397. Trenches. A general term for all the approaches at a siege.
1848. Lytton, Harold, VII. iii. On the other side of the trenches were marching against them their own countrymen.
† c. Sometimes more particularly applied to the rampart, mound, or embankment. Obs.
1536. Bellenden, Cron. Scot. (1821), I. 160. To bring treis to fill the fowseis,… otheris maid sindry instrumentis to breke down thair trinschis.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 259. To bring ye pionners to cast down their trenches.
1617. Moryson, Itin., II. 169. It was resolued that the ditches … should bee deepned, and the trenches highthned.
1678. trans. Gaya’s Art of War, II. 113. A Trench, a casting up of Earth by way of Parapet, with a Ditch or Foss on the side of the Enemy.
1693. in Macfarlane’s Geog. Collect. (S.H.S.), II. 218. Ane ruinous tour surrounded with ane trintch of stone and earth.
1726. Leoni, Alberti’s Archit., II. 100/1. Severus threw up a trench a hundred and twenty two miles long.
d. fig. or transf.
1601. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw. (1603), 23. The sea, which to the inhabitants is a deep trench against hostile inuasions.
1677. Gilpin, Demonol. (1867), 299. A soul that is within the trenches of present peace.
1723. Mandeville, Fab. Bees (1725), I. 66. Seducers … don’t make their Attacks at Noon-day, but cut their Trenches at Night.
4. transf. Something resembling a trench. a. A cut, scar, furrow, or deep wrinkle in the face.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., V. ii. 23. Witnesse these Trenches made by griefe and care.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., vii. ‘Thou name ladies’ love, with such a trench in thy visage!’ said Guthrie.
1830. Godwin, Cloudesley, II. xii. 185. Without trench or wrinkle, in his honest countenance.
b. Anat. and Zool. A cavity, pit, fossa.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 392. That cauity which is commonly called … the Trench or Spoone of the heart.
1631. Widdowes, Nat. Philos., 62. From the trench of the veynes hang downeward white, narrow veynes.
1634. T. Johnson, trans. Parey’s Chirurg., III. i. (1678), 54. The trench of the heart which … the Latines [called] scrobiculus cordis.
1846. Dana, Zooph. (1848), 257. Bottom of trench convoluto-porous. Ibid., Gloss., Trench (Fossa), a meandering cell in the Meandrine Corals.
† 5. A slice. Cf. TRANCHE. Obs. rare.
1558. Warde, trans. Alexis’ Secr. (1559), 70. Take … sixe Lemons cut in trenches.
† 6. A trencher. Obs. rare.
(Perh. only in pl, trenches for trenchers.)
1602. in Collect. Archæol. (1863), II. 105. Pottes and cruses xxx … Trenches viij dossen.
† 7. = TRENCHEFIL, TRANCHEFIL (in both senses).
a. 1611. Cotgr., Trenchefile,… the trench, or trenching of a Crossebow string; that part thereof whereinto the neb of the arrow entreth.
b. 1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 251. The Indians were wont to use no bridles … but only … putting a long round trench through his [the horse’s] mouth, to the edge whereof they fasten the rains, wherewithall they guide the beast.
1614. Markham, Cheap Husb., I. ii. (1668), 16. Now and then drawing the trench to and fro in his Mouth.
1639. T. de Gray, Compl. Horsem., 345. Tye it to his snaffle, trench, or bit.
1721. de Gray, in W. Gibson, Farrier’s Dispens., III. § 9. 202/1. As he standeth upon the Trench, let him chew upon the End of a Bull’s Pizzle some Arman.
† 8. A griping or colic in the horse; also, a kind of worm infesting the horse. [= F. tranchée; cf. Cotgr., ‘Trenchée..., a fretting, wringing, or griping in the bellie…; the wormes, or bellie-ache.’] Obs.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, II. lxxiv. 246. It cureth the trenches or gryping payne in the small of the bellie or bowels.
1587. Mascall, Govt. Cattle, Horses, 103. The trenches are smal woormes with sharpe endes, somewhat longer then bottes, and breedes in the guttes, by eating mouldie bread or hay, or mustie corne.
9. attrib. and Comb., as trench-cutting, -digger, -digging, -fighting, -guard, -lines, -work; trench-encircled, -like adjs.; trench-brace, an extensible screw-brace or strut used to prevent the caving in of the side walls or to support the sheet-piling of a trench; trench-cart Mil., a narrow hand-cart on which ammunition can be carried through the trenches; trench-cavalier Mil., a high parapet constructed by the besiegers upon the glacis to command and enfilade the covered way of the fortress; trench-drain, trench-elm: see quots.; trench-kitchen Mil., a field-kitchen where the fire is made in a small trench; trenchman, a laborer who opens trenches for pipe-laying; † trench-master, an officer in charge of the construction of trenches; trench-planting: see quot. 1905; † trench-sergeant, cf. trench-master. See also TRENCH-PLOUGH.
1877. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Trench-cart.
1834–47. J. S. Macaulay, Field Fortif. (1851), 234. A return is then made to the trench, and the whole of the end of each is converted into a *trench cavalier.
1853. Stocqueler, Milit. Encycl., 254/2. At the angle of the glacis, high breastworks, called trench cavaliers, are formed, to allow a plunging fire … to be directed into the covered-way.
1876. ‘Ouida,’ Winter City, vi. Palestrina often saw its lord … plan *trench-cuttings to arrest the winter-swollen brooks.
1770. Langhorne, Plutarch (1851), II. 1045/2. Making excursions to harass the *trench-diggers.
1846. J. Baxter’s Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4), I. 153. I have often had fine crops [of carrots] upon poor soils by *trench-digging the land to the depth of twenty inches.
1805. R. W. Dickson, Pract. Agric., II. 923. *Trench Drain.—A deep ditch, or drain, which meets the trenches for the purpose of taking the water away speedily after the irrigation is performed.
1676. M. Cook, Forest-trees, xi. 50. The best sort [of Elm] is that which … shoots with a shoot not much less than a Sallow when it is lopped: it is called by some the *Trench-Elm, by others the Marsh-Elm.
1881. W. Cory, Lett. & Jrnls. (1897), 468. A few bits of *trench-fighting.
1903. O. Causton, in Cornh. Mag., Feb., 202. The long white *trench-graves on the summit move one more, perhaps, than any others in South Africa.
1849. Jas. Grant, Kirkaldy of Gr., xxviii. He drove the *trench-guards down the Lawn-market in disorder.
1900. Westm. Gaz., 19 Jan., 2/1. The *trench kitchen is more generally used in South Africa.
1908. Blackw. Mag., April, 502/1. A treble tier of *trench lines.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., III. 1133/2. Edward Chamberleine esquier capteine of the pioners, sir Richard Leigh *trenchmaster.
1617. Moryson, Itin., II. 148. Captain Josias Bodley, Trench-Master.
1830. Planting, 35 (Libr. Usef. Knowl.). Slit-planting … holing or pitting … *trench-planting … furrow-planting.
1905. Terms Forestry (U.S. Dep. Agric., Bulletin lxi.). Trench planting, a method of planting on dry ground, in which the seeds or young trees are set in trenches. Syn.: pit planting.
1755. Mem. Capt. P. Drake, II. iii. 73. He would make me *Trench-Sergeant…. In this Duty I was to attend in the Trenches twice a Day,… to have under my Command a Detachment of thirty unarmed Men … to gather the Pick-axes, Shovels, Wheel-Barrows, etc. that should be left or scattered by the Workmen.
1884. Mil. Engineering (ed. 3), I. II. 29. Fig. 1 … represents this arrangement in a parallel executed by common *trench-work, and Fig. 2 in one constructed by flying trench-work.
