Where does “wrack” come from?
Wrack comes from Middle English wrake, Old English wracu, Proto-Germanic wrakō, and Proto-Indo-European roots wreg- and wer-, ultimately tracing to werǵ-, which carried the sense of turning or twisting.
wrack (English): Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment;...
Definitions
- Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment;...
Ancestry of “wrack”, step by step
wrack traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English wrake
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wrake | vengeance, persecution, injury |
| 2 | Old English | wracu | revenge; persecution; misery, affliction |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wrakō | — |
via Middle Dutch wrak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | wrak | — |