What is the meaning of the word wrack?

1 : ruin, destruction. 2 : a remnant of something destroyed. wrack. verb (1)

What’s the difference between rack and wrack?

As a verb, rack means to torture or cause great suffering, or to place (something) in or on a rack. The verb wrack means to wreck or cause the ruin of something. As a noun, rack means a frame, a shelf, an instrument of torture, or a state of intense anguish. The noun wrack means destruction or wreckage.

What is wrack and ruin?

Also, go to wrack and ruin. Become decayed, decline or fall apart, as in After the founder’s death the business went to rack and ruin. These expressions are emphatic redundancies, since rack and wrack (which are actually variants of the same word) mean “destruction” or “ruin.” [

Is it rack my brain or wrack my brain?

The spelling ‘rack’ is now used in all senses except for the seaweed called wrack. So it’s “rack and ruin,” … “racking my brains,” and so on. Some other usage guides provide a way of dealing with this question that has a certain brutal charm: just stop using the word wrack.

How do you use wrack in a sentence?

1. Acute dysentery wracked and sapped life from his body. 2. We all knew they gave you a wracking cough.

Is it wracked with pain or racked with pain?

As such, “wrack” is often accepted as a variant spelling of the verb form of “rack.” For example, we can say “wracked with pain” as well as “racked with pain.” But keep in mind that “rack” and “wrack” are only interchangeable when used as a verb.

Is wreck or ruin or wrack and ruin?

Separately, gone to wrack and ruin is correct. You wreck something, or neglect it to a degree where it has significantly deteriorated.

What does wreck of ruin mean?

cliché Utter destruction or ruination; severe or total decay or degradation, as from disuse or lack of upkeep.

Is nerve wracking correct?

“Nerve-racking” is the original and correct spelling of this phrase, which describes something that makes you extremely nervous. “Nerve-wracking” is a widely-used and well-established variant spelling. Many editors and usage dictionaries find it acceptable, but purists and prescriptivists consider it an error.

What is wrecking in the Bahamas?

Wrecking (or “wracking”) was an important activity in the Bahamas from its first settlement in 1648. These seamen, who called themselves “wrackers” or “wreckers”, pursued wrecking aggressively, regarding all salvage as their property. They were rumored to have killed people who had inconveniently survived a shipwreck.

Is wrecking a adjective?

WRECKED (adjective) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary.

What is the difference between wrack and wrack?

The two words did come from different sources—rack is thought to be from the Middle Dutch word recken, meaning “to stretch,” and wrack comes from the Middle English word for a shipwreck, wrak—and do retain different meanings.

What is the difference between wreck and wreak?

The tornado wreaked devastation and left a wrecked town. Wreck stands on its own, while wreak needs a complement. You can wreck a house, but you can’t wreak it. You could wreak destruction upon it though. Wreak is to inflict or execute punishment or vengeance. Wreck is the ruin or destruction of anything.

What does in Wrack and ruin mean?

According to Dictionary. com..the meaning “damage, disaster, destruction” (in wrack and ruin) is from c. 1400,, from the old English word. Wreck is basically something or someone that has been ruined like: he Was an emotional wreck after the death of his wife. And wrack means to take revenge for an insult or to ruin someone by insulting.

How do you use the noun Wrack in a sentence?

You hang your clothes on a rack, eat a rack of lamb, and, if you are a medieval torture enthusiast, attach someone to a rack to be stretched until bones are broken or joints dislocated. You should use the noun wrack for those happy moments in your life when you need to refer to a wrecked ship or some form of marine vegetation.