English

trenchmaster

trench + master

A compound of trench + master

Old French trenchier ‘to cut’

Old French trenche

Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s ‘big’

Old Latin magester

Latin magister ‘chief’

Old English mǣster

Middle English maister ‘master’

Today it means

noun A chief military engineer.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / trenchmaster