Where does “wræc” come from?

wræc (Old English) comes from Old English wrecan, from Proto-West Germanic wrekan, from Proto-Germanic wrekaną, from Proto-Indo-European wreǵ- — to work, act.

wræc (Old English): misery, torment; persecution, punishment; exile

Definitions

  1. misery, torment; persecution, punishment; exile

Ancestry of “wræc”, step by step

wræc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English wrecan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwrecanto take revenge; to avenge a person or a wrong;...
2Proto-West Germanicwrekanto drive out; to persecute
3Proto-Germanicwrekanąto pursue, to drive out
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwreǵ-to work, act

via Proto-West Germanic wrāku

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West GermanicwrākuAlternative form of *wraku
2Proto-Germanicwrēkōpersecution; revenge; vengeance

Words derived from “wræc

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wreǵ-Every word from Proto-Germanic wrekanąEvery word from Proto-West Germanic wrekan