Link Centre Dictionary

wrack

UK/ɹæk/ US/ˈræk/ uncommon archaic literary uk
noun (3) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.

the destruction or collapse of something

  • “wrack and ruin”
Synonyms
3.

growth of marine vegetation especially of the large forms such as rockweeds and kelp

Synonyms

verb

1.

smash or break forcefully

  • “The kid busted up the car”
Synonyms

Origin

Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch wrak, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *wrekaną (“to drive out”), the source of wreak and wreck. Doublet of vraic. Cognate with German Wrack, Old Norse rek, Danish vrag, Swedish vrak, Old English wræc); also compare Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (wrikan), 𐍅𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wrakjan, “persecute”), Old Norse reka (“drive”).

Phrases

  • black wrack
  • bladder wrack
  • buckey wrack
  • channelled wrack
  • egg wrack
  • flat wrack
  • grass wrack
  • horn wrack
  • wrack and ruin

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.