Hypertext Webster Gateway: "wreak"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Wreak \Wreak\, n. [Cf. AS. wr[ae]c exile, persecution, misery.
See {Wreak}, v. t.]
Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment. [Obs.]
--Shak. Spenser.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Wreak \Wreak\, v. i.
To reck; to care. [Obs.] --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Wreak \Wreak\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wreaked}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Wreaking}.] [OE. wrek?? to revenge, punish, drive out, AS.
wrecan; akin to OFries. wreka, OS. wrekan to punish, D.
wreken to avenge, G. r["a]chen, OHG. rehhan, Icel. reka to
drive, to take vengeance, Goth. wrikan to persecute, Lith.
vargas distress, vargti to suffer distress, L. urgere to
drive, urge, Gr. ? to shut, Skr. ? to turn away. Cf. {Urge},
{Wreck}, {Wretch}.]
1. To revenge; to avenge. [Archaic]
He should wreake him on his foes. --Chaucer.
Another's wrongs to wreak upon thyself. --Spenser.
Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain.
--Fairfax.
2. To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or
drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy.
On me let Death wreak all his rage. --Milton.
Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to
wreak a grudge of seventeen years. --Macaulay.
But gather all thy powers, And wreak them on the
verse that thou dost weave. --Bryant.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
wreak
v : cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work
a miracle" "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a
joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken
area" [syn: {bring}, {work}, {play}, {make for}]
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