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Origin and history of wrath

wrath(n.)

Middle English wratthe, "anger, fury, hostility, animosity," from Old English wræððu "vehement anger" (especially of a deity, "God's righteous ire"), from wrað "angry" (see wroth) + -þu, from Proto-Germanic -itho (as in strength, width etc.; see -th (2)).

It is the noun companion to wroth, "with shortening before double consonant" [Middle English Compendium]. The phrase wrath of God is in Malory (late 15c.); day of wrath (mid-14c.) is Biblical. Wrathing (n.) was "action of arousing or provoking someone's anger" (c. 1300).

Entries linking to wrath

strength(n.)

Middle English strengthe, from Old English strengþu, strengð "property of being strong, bodily power, muscular force; vigor, firmness, fortitude, manhood; violence; moral resistance," from Proto-Germanic *strangitho (source also of Old High German strengida "strength"), from PIE *strenk- "tight, narrow" (see string (n.)).

With Proto-Germanic abstract noun suffix *-itho (see -th (2)). From the same root as strong; compare length/long.

width(n.)

"state or character of being wide; lineal extent of a thing from side to side;" 1620s, formed from wide on model of breadth, and displacing wideness. Johnson (1755) calls it "a low word." OED (1989) characterizes it as "a literary formation." Related: Widthwise.

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wroth
Old English wrað "angry" (literally "tormented, twisted"), from Proto-Germanic *wraith- (source also of Old Frisian wreth "evil," Old Saxon wred, Middle Dutch wret, Dutch wreed "cruel," Old High German reid, Old Norse reiðr "angry, offended"), from *wreit-, from PIE root *wer- (2
anger
c. 1200, "to irritate, annoy, provoke," from Old Norse angra "to grieve, vex, distress; to be vexed at, take offense with," from Proto-Germanic *angaz (source also of Old English enge "narrow, painful," Middle Dutch enghe, Gothic aggwus "narrow"), from PIE *anghos, suffixed form
ire
c. 1300, from Old French ire "anger, wrath, violence" (11c.), from Latin ira "anger, wrath, rage, passion," from PIE root *eis- (1), forming various words denoting passion (source also of Greek hieros "filled with the divine, holy," oistros "gadfly," originally "thing causing mad
iracund
"angry, inclined to wrath," 1707, from Late Latin iracundus, from ira "anger, wrath, rage, passion" (see ire (n.))....
expiation
The sacrifice of expiation is that which tendeth to appease the wrath of God....
nemesis
1570s, Nemesis, "Greek goddess of vengeance, personification of divine wrath," from Greek nemesis "just indignation, righteous...
slake
intensity, quench, extinguish" is from late 13c. in reference to fire, c. 1300 in reference to thirst, hunger, desire, wrath...
fury
late 14c., "fierce passion," from Old French furie, fuire "rage, frenzy" (14c.), from Latin furia "violent passion, rage, madness," from or related to furere "to rage, be mad," which is of uncertain origin. "Many etymologies have been proposed, but none is clearly the best" [de V
range
c. 1200, renge, "row or line of persons" (especially hunters or soldiers), from Old French reng, renge "a row, line, rank," from Frankish *hring or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz "circle, ring, something curved" (from nasalized form of PIE root *sker- (2
gear
c. 1200, "fighting equipment, armor and weapons," probably from Old Norse gørvi (plural gørvar) "apparel, gear," related to görr, gørr, gerr "skilled, accomplished; ready, willing," and to gøra, gørva "to make, construct, build; set in order, prepare," a very frequent verb in Old

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