Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Retrench

Retrench , transitive verb

[Old French retrenchier, French retrancher; pref. re- re- + Old French trenchier, French trancher, to cut. See Trench.]

1.
To cut off; to pare away.
Thy exuberant parts retrench. — Denham
2.
To lessen; to abridge; to curtail; as, to retrench superfluities or expenses.
But this thy glory shall be soon retrenched. — Milton
3.
To confine; to limit; to restrict. — Addison
These figures, ought they then to receive a retrenched interpretation? — I. Taylor
4.
(Fortification) To furnish with a retrenchment; as, to retrench bastions.

Retrench , intransitive verb

To cause or suffer retrenchment; specifically, to cut down living expenses; as, it is more reputable to retrench than to live embarrassed.