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Origin and history of wreck

wreck(n.)

mid-12c., wrek, in common law, "goods cast ashore after a shipwreck, flotsam" (the right to take what washes up on a shore originally was a crown perquisite), from Anglo-French wrec, from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse *wrek "wreck, flotsam" (source also of Norwegian, Icelandic rek), which is related to reka "to drive, push," and reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *wrekan (see wreak (v.)).

The meaning "partial or total destruction of a ship at sea" is by mid-15c.; that of "a wrecked ship" is by c. 1500. Of road or railway accidents by 1912, American English.

The general sense of "disruption of anything by force or violence" is from 1570s; the meaning "that which is in a state of ruin; remains of anything that has been ruined" is by 1713; applied by 1795 to dissipated persons. Compare wrack (v.), which is its doublet.

also from mid-12c.

wreck(v.)

c. 1500, "destroy, bring about the ruin of" (a structure); by 1570s as "cause the wreck of" (a vessel in the course of navigation); c. 1500, from wreck (n.). The intransitive sense of "suffer shipwreck" is from 1670s; that of "collect wreckage" is by 1843. Related: Wrecked; wrecking. The demolition-crane wrecking-ball is by 1947.

also from c. 1500

Entries linking to wreck

wrack(v.)

"to ruin, destroy, make a wreck of" (originally in reference to ships), 1560s, from earlier intransitive sense of "be shipwrecked" (late 15c.), from wrack (n.).

Often confused in this sense since 16c. with rack (v.1) in the sense of "torture on the rack;" to wrack one's brains is thus erroneous. Related: Wracked; wracking.

wreak(v.)

Old English wrecan "avenge," usually with the offense or offender as the subject (Shakespeare's "send down Justice for to wreak our wrongs"), also "gratify one's anger;" originally "drive, drive out, punish" (class V strong verb; past tense wræc, past participle wrecen). It is from Proto-Germanic *wrekanan, which is perhaps from PIE root *urgh- "to push, shove, drive, track down" (see urge (v.)).

The "drive" sense is not attested after Old English. The meaning "execute or take" (vengeance), with on, is recorded from late 15c.; that of "inflict or cause" (damage or destruction) is attested by 1817. To wreak havoc is by 1837 ["La Hougue Bie de Hambie"].

Compare wrack (v.). Germanic cognates include Old Saxon wrekan, Old Norse reka, Old Frisian wreka, Middle Dutch wreken "to drive, push, compel, pursue, throw," Old High German rehhan, German rächen "to avenge," Gothic wrikan "to persecute." Related: Wreaked; wreaking.