What does trencherman mean?
A trencherman is, in its best-known sense, a person who eats with great appetite, often heartily or voraciously. The word has a dated, humorous or literary quality today, so “voracious trencherman” can sound affectionate rather than merely descriptive. It also has older and less frequent military senses: a soldier who serves in trenches and, historically, a laborer who dug them. The word is an English compound of trench and man, originally associated with someone who dug trenches; by the end of the sixteenth century it was also used for a voracious eater. Consequently, trencherman can be useful in historical prose when describing eating customs, soldiers, or trench life, while its modern use is chiefly playful. It is recorded in both British and American English, though it is less common in everyday speech than appetite, glutton, or hearty eater.
nounA trencherman is chiefly a person who eats voraciously. In older and military contexts, it can also mean a soldier who serves in a trench or, historically, a man who digs trenches.
- A person who eats voraciously or with great enthusiasm.
- A soldier who serves or fights in trenches.
- A man who digs trenches; now chiefly historical.
"The children had never known such a trencherman, and he returned from the table barely able to walk."
"At the family dinner, Uncle Martin proved to be an enthusiastic trencherman."
"Historical accounts sometimes use trencherman for a soldier serving in the front-line trenches."
The regular plural changes -man to -men.
"The novel portrays two enthusiastic trenchermen who rarely leave a meal unfinished."
It originally described a man who dug trenches, but its appetite eventually grew: by the late sixteenth century, a trencherman could also mean someone who ate voraciously.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trencherman come from?
Trencherman was formed in English from trench and man. Its early use was for a man who dug trenches; by the end of the sixteenth century it was also recorded for a voracious eater, and it later came to denote a soldier serving in trenches. It belongs to the trench word family, alongside trench, trenchant, and trencher, all associated etymologically with cutting or digging.
Related word forms
How trencherman is actually used
The word now has a dated, literary, or humorous quality, especially in the sense of a voracious eater. The military and digging senses are uncommon and chiefly occur in historical writing.