noun
trencher
TREN-cher/ˈtrentʃər/
A person or device that digs trenches.
The trencher cuts a narrow ditch for the water pipe.
Etymology
Old French trenchier meant “to cut,” and trench came to describe cutting a narrow channel into the ground. The tool-forming -er names the machine that performs this work.
In context
the forward position should be used to drive the trencher from one location to another and load it onto a trailer the machine trenches backwards toward the operator
More examples
- We rent a trencher to install the sprinkler lines.
- This small trencher fits through the garden gate.
- The trenchers dig by hand where machines cannot reach.
Forms
trencher · trenchers
trench verb — To dig a long, narrow ditch.
Similar words
- digger
- Any person or machine that digs, not necessarily trenches.
- excavator
- Usually a machine for broader earthmoving, not specifically trench digging.