Where does “wretch” come from?

Wretch comes from Middle English wrecche, from Old English wreċċa, from Proto-Germanic wrakjô, from Proto-Indo-European wreg-, meaning to drive or push out.

wretch (English): An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person; An...

Definitions

  1. An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person; An...

Ancestry of “wretch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwrecchewretched
2Old Englishwreċċaa wretch, stranger, exile; exile, outcast
3Frankishwrakkjōservant, boy; mercenary, servant; mercenary;...
4Proto-Germanicwrakjôan exile, one who is persecuted or displaced,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwreǵ-to work, act

Words derived from “wretch”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wreǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wrakjô →Every word from Frankish wrakkjō →