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Added 9 October 2026

wreck

/ˈɹɛk/ noun

In Latin: perdō Wiktionary

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

Something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation.
the house was a wreck when they bought it
An accident that destroys a ship at sea.
A serious accident (usually involving one or more vehicles).
they are still investigating the crash of the TWA plane

verb

Smash or break forcefully.
The kid busted up the car

Origin

From Middle English wrek, from Anglo-Norman wrek, from Old Norse *wrek (whence Norwegian rek, Icelandic rek, Swedish vrak, Danish vrag), from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną (“to pursue”, whence Old English wrecan (English wreak), Old Saxon wrekan, Old High German rëhhan, Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (wrikan)), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to track; to hunt; to follow”).

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

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