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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
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
This package from The Vault offers up a stay at Sandy Lane Estate, a luxury enclave on the west of the island—yes, the tranche of coastline that’s so prestigious it’s nicknamed the Platinum Coast.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
The first tranche milestone is a market capitalization of $2 trillion.
—Chris Eudaily, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
The biggest tranche of frozen assets – some $225 billion worth – are held in Belgium, and the Belgian government has been reluctant to take any risks on using the money without firm guarantees from its European partners.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tranche
Cite this Entry
“Tranche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tranche. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
tranche
nounFrench, literally, slice, from Old French, from trenchier, trancher to cut
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