wrake

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English wrake (“vengeance, persecution, injury”), from Old English wracu (“revenge, persecution, misery, etc.”), from Proto-Germanic *wrakō, likely related to *wrēkō (“persecution, revenge, vengeance”). Cognate with Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌰 (wraka, “persecution”), Middle Low German wrake and Middle Dutch wrake.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rāk, IPA^(key): /ɹeɪk/, [ɹeɪ̯kʰ]
• Rhymes: -eɪk

Noun

wrake (plural wrakes)

1. (obsolete) Suffering which comes as a result of vengeance or retribution.
2. (obsolete) Wrecked state or condition; destruction, ruin.

Etymology 2

Variant of wrack, possibly influenced by Etymology 1.

Noun

wrake (plural wrakes)

1. Obsolete form of wrack.

Verb

wrake (third-person singular simple present wrakes, present participle wraking, simple past and past participle wraked)

1. Obsolete form of wrack.

References

• Francis Henry Stratmann (1891), “wráke”, in Henry Bradley, editor, A Middle-English Dictionary: Containing Words Used by English Writers from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Century, Oxford: Printed at the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 695, column 1
• “wrake”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “†wrake, n.¹”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• wreak, Waker, waker, kewra

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wrak, wrack, wracke, wrach, wrache, wrace, wraca, wracæ, wræce

Etymology

Inherited from Old English wracu, from Proto-Germanic *wrakō.

Noun

wrake (plural wrakes)

1. vengeance, retribution, revenge

   haven/taken/nimen wrake on/upon/of ― to exact vengeance on (somebody)

   1. divine retribution or punishment
   2. an act of punishment or vengeance
   3. vengefulness
2. ruin, destruction, wreck

   gon to/unto wrake ― to go to ruin

   fallen in-to wrake ― to fall into ruin

   bryngen/fallen wrake ― to bring to ruin

   1. ruination, violation
   2. death
3. hostility, active enmity, discord
4. physical pain, suffering, harm, injury
5. distress, woe, misery
6. wrongdoing, transgression

Derived terms

• wrakedom
• wrakeful

Related terms

• wraken ("to exact vengeance or punishment")

Descendants

• English: wrack
• Yola: rocke

References

• “wrā̆k(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “†wrake, n.¹”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.