Where does “wretched” come from?
Wretched comes from Middle English wrecched, formed with the Middle English suffix -ed from Old English -od, derived from Proto-Germanic -ōdaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wreg-.
wretched (English): Very miserable; feeling deep affliction or...
Definitions
- Very miserable; feeling deep affliction or...
Ancestry of “wretched”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wrecched | unfortunate; miserable; unhappy; base; vile;... |
| 2 | Middle English | wrecche | wretched |
| 3 | Old English | wreċċa | a wretch, stranger, exile; exile, outcast |
| 4 | Frankish | wrakkjō | servant, boy; mercenary, servant; mercenary;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wrakjô | an exile, one who is persecuted or displaced,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wreǵ- | to work, act |