wreak

English

/ɹiːk/, /ɹik/

verb
Definitions
  • (transitive) To cause something harmful; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injury; to let out something harmful; .
  • (transitive) To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite.
  • (archaic) To inflict or take vengeance on.
  • (archaic) To take vengeance for.
  • (intransitive)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wreken inherited from Old English wrecan inherited from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną (drive out, push, pursue) derived from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (drive, track, follow, urge, push, hunt, press, shove, track down).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*wreg-

Gloss

drive, track, follow, urge, push, hunt, press, shove, track down

Concept
Semantic Field

Animals

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Emoji
🚂

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms