Pronounced: pol-TROON
Notes: I’ve heard this word, but wasn’t sure of the meaning
Yesterday’s word
The word trenchant means
- keen; sharp
- vigorously effective and articulate; caustic
- sharply perceptive; penetrating
- clear-cut; distinct
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1200s or the early 1300s
Background / Comments
I thought that our word meant “dedicated”; I think I confused our word with “trencherman”. Our word came from the Anglo-French verb trencher (to cut), and it thought to have come from the Vulgar Latin word trinicare (to cut in three). A trenchant sword has a keen edge; a trenchant remark cuts deep; a trenchant observation cuts to the heart of the matter.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 