trenchant
/ˈtɹɛnʃənt/ adjective
Forms trenchaunt
- adjective (chiefly archaic) Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp.
- adjective (zoology, of teeth) Adapted for tearing into flesh.
- adjective (figuratively) Keen; biting; vigorously articulate and effective; severe. “trenchant wit”
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French trenchant, the present participle of trenchier (“to cut”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp. " Trenchant was the blade." Chaucer.
- adjective Fig.: Keen; biting; severe; as, trenchant wit.
Etymology [OF. trenchant, F. tranchant, p. pr. See Trench, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “trenchant”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details