View source for Work - wreak

The two [[verb]]s 'to '''work'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> and 'to '''wreak''' are sometimes confused, particularly in the set phraseS 'to '''wreak''' havoc'. This is something of a [[clichÃ©]], but remains of value in writing. 
*The verb 'to '''wreak'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> means, loosely, 'to cause [something harmful]', 'to inflict,[damage] upon'. The other set phrase sometimes to be seen is '''to wreak vengeance on'''`, 'to inflict retaliatory harm upon'. In neither of these phrases is the verb 'to work' an acceptable substitute for '''wreak'''. 
**Beware also the typing error 'wreck'.
*A subsidiary problem is that the [[past tense]] form '''wrought''', which is properly the [[past tense]] of 'to '''work'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>, has been adopted - wrongly - by some writers as a past tense form of 'to '''wreak'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>, which it is not. (It seems that some writers, having chosen to replace 'wreak' by 'work' in 'to w***k havoc', have also used the past form of work instead of that of wreak, which is '''wreaked'''.)
 You are advised not to write '<s>work havoc on</s>', nor '<s>wrought</s> havoc on'.

::(You may like to see also AWE's pages on the forms of the irregular verb [[wreak (irregular verb)|'to '''wreak'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>]]; the meaning of [[wrought]], and current academic usage; and the [[homophone]]s [[reek - wreak|'''reek''' and '''wreak''']], with some possible typographical errors.

::'''''[[etymology|Etymological]] note''''': the two verbs '''work''' and '''wreak''', though both [[Germanic]] in origin (and both containing the consonants 'w-', '-r-' and '-k', or other palatal consonant) are not related. ''[[OED]]'' gives their etymologies (here abbreviated) as:
::::'to '''work'''<nowiki></nowiki> was the Old English verb ''wyrcan'', from the Old Saxon ''workian'' or '''wirkian''', descending from an Old Germanic word hypothetically reconstructed as ''wurkjan''. '''Work''' is paralleled in [[West Germanic]] languages by  ''wurken'', ''wÃ¼rken'' in Middle High German and  ''wirken'' in modern German; ''werkia'' in Old Frisian  ''werken'' in Dutch and Middle (Low German); in [[North Germanic]] by Old Norse ''yrkja'', Swedish ''verka'' and Danish ''virke''; and in [[East Germanic]] by [[Gothic]] ''waurkjan''.
::::::The Indo-European base ''worg-'' , ''werg-'' , ''wrg-'' is represented outside Germanic by Avestan ''vÉ™rÉ™zyeiti'' 'he works', [[Greek]] á¼”ÏÎ´Ï‰, á¿¥ÎÎ¶Ï‰ 'I do, perfect', á¼”Î¿ÏÎ³Î± , á½„ÏÎ³Î±Î½Î¿Î½ 'organ' and á½„ÏÎ³Î¹Î¿Î½ 'orgy' ; Old Irish ''fairged'' 'they made', ''do-fairci'' 'prepares'. 

::::'to '''wreak'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> was : [[Old English]] [[strong verb]] ''wrecan'', from the Common Germanic. It is paralleled by ''wreka'' in Old Frisian and ''wrekke'' in West Frisian'; Old Saxon ''wrekan'' in Middle Low German and Low German, ''wreken'' in Dutch and ''wrÃ¤ken'' in Low German. The '''w-''' appears after the Old High German ''rÃ«chan'' or ''rÃ«hhan'', which becomes ''rechen'' in Middle High German and ''rÃ¤chen'' in modern German; in [[North Germanic]] ''reka'' in  Old Norse and Icelandic, and the modern ''reka'' in Norwegian and''vrÃ¤ka''; [[Gothic]] had  ''wrikan'' ('to persecute'). The Germanic stem ''wrek-'' and pre-Germanic hypotheical ''wreg-'' are [[cognate]] with that of [[Latin]] ''urgÄ“re''.

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[[Category:academic English]]
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[[Category:etymological curiosities]]
[[category:r - wr homophones]]