-chmənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French retrenchement , from retrenchier + -ment
1. : an act or process of retrenching : reduction , curtailment , excision : cutting down of expenses
retrenchment of their way of living — Willa Cather
retrenchment both in public expenditures and international commitments — Max Ascoli
2. : a defense work (as a simple traverse or parapet and ditch) constructed within another to prolong the defense when the enemy has gained the outer work