Difference between revisions of "Work - wreak"

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*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'''.  
 
*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'.
 
**Beware also the typing error 'wreck'.
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*A subsidiary problem is that the [[part 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'''.)
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*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 are advised not to write '<s>work havoc on</s>', nor '<s>wrought</s> havoc on'.
  
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::'''''[[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:
 
::'''''[[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:
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*'''work''' Old English ''wyrcan'', Old Saxon ''workian'' or '''wirkian''' , Old High German ''wurchen''
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::::'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'', ''würken'' 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''.
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::::::The Indo-European base ''worg-'' , ''werg-'' , ''wrg-'' is represented outside Germanic by Avestan ''vərəzyeiti'' 'he works', [[Greek]] ἔρδω, ῥέζω 'I do, perfect', ἔοργα , ὄργανον 'organ' and ὄργιον 'orgy' ; Old Irish ''fairged'' 'they made', ''do-fairci'' 'prepares'.
  
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{{wip}}
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::::'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 ''wräken'' in Low German. The '''w-''' appears after the Old High German ''rëchan'' or ''rëhhan'', which becomes ''rechen'' in Middle High German and ''rächen'' in modern German; in [[North Germanic]] ''reka'' in  Old Norse and Icelandic, and the modern ''reka'' in Norwegian and''vräka''; [[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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(Middle High German wurken , würken , worhte , geworht , gewürket ), Old Norse yrkja , orta , ortr , Gothic waurkjan , waurhta , -waurhts < Old Germanic *wurkjan , *wur χt- ; (2) Old English (Mercian) wircan , = Old Frisian werkia , wirza , wrochte , wrocht , Old Saxon , war(a)hta , war(a)ht , Old High German wirchen , warahta (Middle High German wirken , warhte , German wirken ; wirkte , gewirkt ), Old Norse verkja , virkja to feel pain < Old Germanic *werkjan , *war χt- (*wur χt- ). A third Old English type represented by late wercan , weorc(e)an seems to point to early influence of the n. we(o)rc (see work n.) upon the vowel of the v.
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Other Germanic forms are Old Frisian werka , Old Saxon -werkon , (-werkot ), (Middle) Dutch, Middle (Low German) werken , (wrochte , etc.), Old High German werchôn (Middle High German werchen , werken ), Old Norse verka (-að ) in certain technical uses, orka to manage, effect, contrive (Swedish verka to do, perform, virka to crochet, Danish virke to operate, act, weave, etc.).
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The Indo-European base worg- , werg- , wrg- is represented outside Germanic by Avestan vərəzyeiti he works, Greek ἔρδω ( < *wergjō ), ῥέζω ( < *wrgjō ) I do, perfect ἔοργα , ὄργανον organ n.1, ὄργιον orgy n., Old Irish fairged they made, do-fairci prepares, and the forms s.v. wark n.1, wark v., and work n.
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'''wreak'''  Common Germanic: Old English wrecan strong verb (wræc , wrǽcon , wrecen ), = Old Frisian wreka (West Frisian wrekke ), Old Saxon wrekan (Middle Low German and Low German, Middle Dutch and Dutch wreken ; also Low German wräken ), Old High German rëchan , rëhhan (Middle High German rechen , German rächen ), Old Norse and Icelandic reka (Norwegian reka ; Swedish vräka ), Gothic wrikan (to persecute), < the Germanic stem wrek- , pre-Germanic *wreg- , cognate with that of Latin urgÄ“re . Compare wrack v.1, wreche v., wreck v.2, also awreak v., bewreak v.
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[[Category:usage]]
 
[[Category:usage]]
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[[Category:typos]]
 
[[Category:typos]]
 
[[Category:etymological curiosities]]
 
[[Category:etymological curiosities]]
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[[category:r - wr homophones]]

Revision as of 18:28, 22 March 2013

The two verbs 'to work' and 'to wreak are sometimes confused, particularly in the set phraseS 'to wreak havoc'. This is something of a cliché, but remains of value in writing.

  • The verb 'to wreak' 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', has been adopted - wrongly - by some writers as a past tense form of 'to wreak', 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 'work havoc on', nor 'wrought havoc on'.
(You may like to see also AWE's pages on the forms of the irregular verb 'to wreak'; the meaning of wrought, and current academic usage; and the homophones reek and wreak, with some possible typographical errors.
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 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, würken 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 ἔρδω, ῥέζω 'I do, perfect', ἔοργα , ὄργανον 'organ' and ὄργιον 'orgy' ; Old Irish fairged 'they made', do-fairci 'prepares'.
'to wreak' 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 wräken in Low German. The w- appears after the Old High German rëchan or rëhhan, which becomes rechen in Middle High German and rächen in modern German; in North Germanic reka in Old Norse and Icelandic, and the modern reka in Norwegian andvräka; 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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