wrack

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Destruction or ruin (especially in the phrase 'wrack and ruin').

   The once grand house had fallen into wrack and ruin.

2. 2
   verb

   To cause great pain or suffering to someone (often as 'wracked with').

   Her body was wracked with pain after the long illness.

3. 3
   noun

   Seaweed, especially the kind washed up on the shore.

   The beach was strewn with brown wrack after the storm.

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”).

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