shipwreck

B2 Topic:Maritime & Sailing

US /ˈʃɪpɹɛk/ See IPA manual

Freq #21842

Meanings

1

noun
The destruction of a ship at sea, when it sinks or runs aground.

Many lives were lost in the shipwreck off the coast.
2

noun
A ship that has sunk or been wrecked, or what remains of it.

Divers discovered an ancient shipwreck on the seabed.
3

verb
To cause a ship to be wrecked or sunk, usually used in the passive.

They were shipwrecked on a deserted island for weeks.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms shipwreckedshipwreckingshipwrecks

Derived forms shipwrecky

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

shipwreck survivor
a person who remains alive after a ship is wrecked

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck.

shipwrak Middle English sċipwræc Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Maritime & Sailing Transportation

External links

# shipwreck

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈʃɪpɹɛk/
**Frequency rank:** 21842

## Meanings
1. The destruction of a ship at sea, when it sinks or runs aground.
2. A ship that has sunk or been wrecked, or what remains of it.
3. To cause a ship to be wrecked or sunk, usually used in the passive.

## Examples
- Many lives were lost in the shipwreck off the coast.
- Divers discovered an ancient shipwreck on the seabed.
- They were shipwrecked on a deserted island for weeks.

## Derived Forms
- shipwrecky

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: shipwrak
- Root: sċipwræc

## Etymology
From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck.

## AI Etymology
Shipwreck is from Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck. Important forms in the word's history include Middle English shipwrak, Old English sċipwræc. In current use it includes senses such as The destruction of a ship at sea, when it sinks or runs aground and A ship that has sunk or been wrecked, or what remains of it.

## Topics
- Maritime & Sailing
- Transportation

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