Link Centre Dictionary

wrest

UK/ɹɛst/ US/ˈrɛst/ uncommon dated obsolete rare

verb

1.

obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically

  • “wrest the knife from his hands”
  • “wrest a meaning from the old text”
  • “wrest power from the old government”

Origin

From Middle English wresten, wrasten, wræsten, from Old English wrǣstan (“to twist forcibly, wrench”), from Proto-Germanic *wraistijaną, (compare Proto-Germanic *wrīhaną (“to turn, wind; to cover, envelop”), *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist”), Old Norse reista (“to bend, twist”)), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *wreiḱ-, *wreyḱ- (“to bend, twist”), *wreyt- (“to bend”). See also writhe, wry. The noun is derived from the verb.

Phrases

  • saw wrest
  • wrest block
  • wrest pin
  • wrest plank

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.