- Wreaking
- Wreak Wreak, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wreaked}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Wreaking}.] [OE. wrek?? to revenge, punish, drive out, AS.
wrecan; akin to OFries. wreka, OS. wrekan to punish, D.
wreken to avenge, G. r["a]chen, OHG. rehhan, Icel. reka to
drive, to take vengeance, Goth. wrikan to persecute, Lith.
vargas distress, vargti to suffer distress, L. urgere to
drive, urge, Gr. ? to shut, Skr. ? to turn away. Cf. {Urge},
{Wreck}, {Wretch}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To revenge; to avenge. [Archaic]
[1913 Webster]
He should wreake him on his foes. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
Another's wrongs to wreak upon thyself. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain. --Fairfax. [1913 Webster]
2. To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy. [1913 Webster]
On me let Death wreak all his rage. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]
But gather all thy powers, And wreak them on the verse that thou dost weave. --Bryant. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
