wrack

Meaning

Noun

1. (archaic, dialectal, literary) Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment; consequence; trouble.
2. (archaic) Ruin; destruction.
3. The remains of something; a wreck.

Verb

1. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To execute vengeance on; avenge.
2. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To worry; tease; torment.

Verb

1. (transitive) To wreck, especially a ship.
2. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of rack (“to cause to suffer pain, etc.”).

Synonyms

ruin

wreck

shipwreck

seaweed

kelp

rack

sea wrack

brown alga

ruination

knock out

destruction

devastation

bust up

calamity

break

destroy

exterminate

fall

harass

havoc

interdict

key

🔑

kill

🔪🩸👤

nuke

obliterate

perdition

plague

plunder

pulverise

ravage

raze

shatter

smash up

subvert

torment

total

vandalise

vandalize

vaporize

vraic

wreckage

cut to ribbons

lay waste to

sea tang

annihilate

sea moss

bane

bang up

batter down

blast

Translations

goémon

varech

ναυάγιο

sargazo

bruinwier

zeewier

blaaswier

fucus

rovina

Tang

fuco

Wrack

sfasciare

verwoesten

destruir

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹæk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: wrake

Inherited from Old English: wracu

Inherited from Old English: wrǣċ

Inherited from Middle English: -

Cognate with German: Wrack

Cognate with Old Norse: rek

Cognate with Danish: vrag

Cognate with Swedish: vrak

Cognate with Old English: wræc

Cognate with Gothic: 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽

Cognate with Old Norse: reka

In summary

From Middle English wrake, wrache, wreche, from a merger of Old English wracu, wræc (“misery, suffering”) and Old English wrǣċ (“vengeance, revenge”). See also wrake.