Etymology Explorer › Middle Low German

Where does “wrak” come from?

wrak (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon wrak, from Old Saxon wrekan, from Proto-West Germanic wrekan, from Proto-Germanic wrekaną, from Proto-Indo-European wreǵ- — to work, act.

Ancestry of “wrak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonwrak—
2Old Saxonwrekanto wreak
3Proto-West Germanicwrekanto drive out; to persecute
4Proto-Germanicwrekanąto pursue, to drive out
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwreǵ-to work, act

Words derived from “wrak”

  • abwracken
  • Wrack
  • vrak
  • vrag
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wreǵ- →