RETRENCH', verb transitive 1. To cut off; to pare away. And thy exuberant parts retrench 2. To lessen; to abridge; to curtail; as, to retrench superfluities or expenses. 3. To confine; to limit. [Not proper.] RETRENCH', verb intransitive To live at less expense. It is more reputable to retrench than to live embarrassed.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI