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Finance and Tranche
In French, tranche means "slice." Cutting deeper into the word's etymology, we find the Old French word trancer, meaning "to cut." Tranche emerged in the English language in the late 19th century to describe financial appropriations. Today, it is often used specifically of an issue of bonds that is differentiated from other issues by such factors as maturity or rate of return. Another use of the French word tranche is in the French phrase une tranche de vie, meaning "a cross section of life." That phrase was coined by the dramatist Jean Jullien (1854-1919), who advocated naturalism in the theater.
Examples of tranche in a Sentence
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
On January 30, the Department of Justice released the latest tranche—millions of pages of searchable documents devoid of context or explanation.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The massive tranche of documents — including emails, photos and other documents — are materials collected during the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein and Maxwell.
—Saige Miller, NPR, 14 Feb. 2026
In 2021, for example, the city used its tranche of American Rescue Plan funds to cover city services and overtime, which ultimately helped save officials from conducting layoffs.
—Abby Church, Houston Chronicle, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tranche
Cite this Entry
“Tranche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tranche. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
tranche
nounFrench, literally, slice, from Old French, from trenchier, trancher to cut
