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Added 10 October 2026

rick

/ɹɪk/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rick at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (`rick' and `wrick' are British).
A stack of hay.

verb

Pile in ricks.
rick hay
Twist suddenly so as to sprain.
wrench one's ankle

Origin

From Middle English *rykke, from Old English hrycce (“rick, heap, pile”), cognate with Scots ruk (“rick”), Norwegian ruka (“rick, haystack”). Related also to Old English hrēac (“rick, stack”), from Proto-Germanic *hraukaz (“heap”). Further relations: Dutch rook, Icelandic hraukur, Irish cruach. Doublet of croagh.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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