Where does “wrackful” come from?

wrackful (English) comes from English wrack, from Middle English wrake, from Old English wracu, from Proto-Germanic wrakō.

wrackful (English): Full of wrack or wreckage; ruinous; destructive

Definitions

  1. Full of wrack or wreckage; ruinous; destructive

Ancestry of “wrackful”, step by step

wrackful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English wrack

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwrackVengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment;...
2Middle Englishwrakevengeance, persecution, injury
3Old Englishwracurevenge; persecution; misery, affliction
4Proto-Germanicwrakō—

via Middle English wrakeful

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwrakeful—
Every word from Proto-Germanic wrakō →Every word from Old English wracu →Every word from Middle English wrake →