Trenchant

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• Trenchant — Trench ant, a. [OF. trenchant, F. tranchant, p. pr. See {Trench}, v. t.] 1. Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp. Trenchant was the blade. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. Fig.: Keen; biting; severe; as, trenchant wit. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• trenchant — [tren′chənt] adj. [ME < OFr, prp. of trenchier: see TRENCH] 1. Archaic cutting; sharp 2. keen; penetrating; incisive [trenchant words] 3. forceful; vigorous; effective [a trenchant argument] 4. clear cut; distinct [a trenchant patte …   English World dictionary

• trenchant — early 14c., cutting, sharp, from O.Fr. trenchant cutting, sharp, prp. of trenchier to cut (see TRENCH (Cf. trench)). Figurative sense is recorded from c.1600 …   Etymology dictionary

• trenchant — I adjective acrimonious, acute, biting, brisk, caustic, clear cut, cutting, distinct, dynamic, energetic, explicit, forceful, incisive, intense, keen, mordant, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, pointed, powerful, pungent, sarcastic, scathing,… …   Law dictionary

• trenchant — *incisive, clear cut, cutting, biting, crisp Analogous words: piercing, penetrating, probing (see ENTER): *sharp, keen, acute: *sarcastic, satiric, ironic, sardonic: *caustic, mordant, acrid, scathing: poignant, *pungent …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• trenchant — [adj] sarcastic, scathing acerbic, acid, acidulous, acute, astringent, biting, caustic, clear, clear cut, crisp, critical, crushing, cutting, distinct, driving, dynamic, effective, effectual, emphatic, energetic, explicit, forceful, forcible,… …   New thesaurus

• trenchant — ► ADJECTIVE 1) vigorous or incisive in expression or style. 2) archaic or literary (of a weapon or tool) having a sharp edge. DERIVATIVES trenchancy noun trenchantly adverb. ORIGIN Old French, cutting , from Latin truncare truncate, maim …   English terms dictionary

• trenchant — Le trenchant ou taillant d un ferrement, Acies. Le trenchant de l oraison et la poincte, Acies orationis. Aucunes queux ne font point bon trenchant, si elles ne sont mouillées d eauë, Repertae sunt et in Italia coticulae, aqua trahentes aciem… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

• trenchant — adjective Etymology: Middle English trenchaunt, from Anglo French, present participle of trencher Date: 14th century 1. keen, sharp 2. vigorously effective and articulate < a trenchant analysis >; also caustic < trenchant remarks > 3 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

• trenchant — trenchancy, n. trenchantly, adv. /tren cheuhnt/, adj. 1. incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic; cutting: trenchant wit. 2. vigorous; effective; energetic: a trenchant policy of political reform. 3. clearly or sharply defined; clear… …   Universalium