Word of the Day -- Tranche

This is one of those words that you think you know, and maybe you do, but the definition is wholly unsatisfying.  It is as follows:  a division or portion of a pool or whole. 

In French, "tranche" means "slice." Cutting deeper into the word's etymology, we find the Old French word "trancer," meaning "to cut." The word 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.