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wrack¹ also rack

(răk)

Destruction or ruin. Used chiefly in the phrase wrack and ruin.

[Middle English, from Old English wræc, punishment (influenced by Middle Dutch wrak, shipwreck).]

wrack² also rack

(răk)

a. Wreckage, especially of a ship cast ashore.

b. Chiefly British Violent destruction of a building or vehicle.

a. Seaweed that has been cast ashore or dried.

b. Any of various brown algae, especially rockweed or kelp.

v. wracked, wrack·ing, wracks also racked or rack·ing or racks

v.tr.

To cause the ruin of; wreck.

v.intr.

To be wrecked.

[Middle English wrak, from Middle Dutch.]

rack³ also wrack

(răk)

A thin mass of wind-driven clouds.

[Middle English rak, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish rak, wreckage.]

wrack⁴

(răk)

Variant of rack³.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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