Etymology : Middle English wreken, from Old English wrecan to drive, punish, avenge; akin to Old High German rehhan to avenge and perhaps to Latin urgEre to drive on, urge
Pronunciation : 'rEk
also 'rek
Function : transitive verb
Date : before 12th century
1. inflict (wreak havoc); give expression to; carry out, perform. wreak\wreak\, n. [cf. as. wr?c exile, persecution, misery. see:
wreak, v. t.] revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment. [obs.] spenser.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?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.].
2. to revenge; to avenge. [archaic] he should wreake him on his foes. another's wrongs to wreak upon thyself. come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain.
3. to execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy. on me let death wreak all his rage. now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years. but gather all thy powers, and wreak them on the verse that thou dost weave.wreak \wreak\ , v. i. to reck; to care. [obs.]wreak cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "i cannot work a miracle" "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "the rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area" [syn: bring, work, play, make for].
4. To reck; to care.
5. To revenge; to avenge.
6. To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy.
7. Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment.
8. The form wrought can also be used as the past participle.
9. Something or someone that wreaks havoc or destruction causes a great amount of disorder or damage. Violent storms wreaked havoc on the French Riviera, leaving three people dead and dozens injured.
10. If you wreak revenge or vengeance on someone, you do something that will harm them very much to punish them for the harm they have done to you. He threatened to wreak vengeance on the men who toppled him a year ago. see also:
wrought.