Subject: (urth) "Trenchard"

From: Dan'l Danehy Oakes <ddanehyo at us.oracle.com>
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 08:51:05 +0000

Tony Ellis wrote:

> As for the significance of Trenchard... a trencher is, of
> course, a wooden or ceramic platter, and significantly the
> word comes from the French trenchoir. Would that make a
> trenchard some sort of serving man, a medieval plate-
> carrier? Just a thought.

_Trencheior_ or _trenchier_, actually; a medieval French verb 
now obsolete in either form.  (May come from trinicare, a 
later Vulgar Latin verb meaning 'to cut or divide in three,' 
but that's not attested.)  The verb meant 'to cut,' and is 
also the root for "trenchant."  

Given the -ard suffix, I would guess that "trenchard" means 
something like "person from the trench."  Not very helpful,
I know.

--Roach

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