wrake
English
Etymology
From Middle English wrake (“vengeance, persecution, injury”), from Old English ƿracu (“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)
- (obsolete, archaic, literary) Suffering which comes as a result of vengeance or retribution.
- (obsolete) Variant of wrack.
Related terms
- wrakedom ("vengeance")
- wrakeful ("revengeful")
References
- A Middle-English Dictionary: Containing Words Used by English Writers from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Century
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary - wrake
Anagrams
- kewra, waker, wreak