Worked vs Wreaked - What's the difference?

worked | wreaked |

As verbs the difference between worked and wreaked

is that worked is past tense of work while wreaked is past tense of wreak.

As an adjective worked

is designed or executed in a particular manner or to a particular degree.

worked

English

Verb

(head)

(work)

Adjective

(-)

Designed or executed in a particular manner or to a particular degree.

* 1811 , William Singers, "On the Varieties of Wheat, Barley, Oats, Peas, and Beans", Prize Essays and Transactions of the Highland Society of Scotland , page 73:

A heavy rich loam'' is, perhaps, the best of any; but ''carse'' lands, and well worked and manured ''clay soils, are also very suitable.

Wrought.

# Processed in a particular way; prepared via labour.

#* 1832 , James Justinian Morier, Zorhab the Hostage , page 39:

...the light and elastic spear, made of the India bamboo, and tipped with the most perfectly worked steel, which he now held in his hand...

# Decorated or embellished; embroidered.

#* 1803 , William Alexander, The Costume of the Russian Empire , page 84:

...and many of them, at least when young, wear only a worked piece of linen over their head.

Prepared so as to demonstrate the steps required.

* 1835 , R.H. Nicholls and Francis Walkingame, Taplin's Improved Edition of Walkingame's Tutor's Assistant , page 108:

Place each error opposite its supposed number, as in the worked example.

References

wreaked

English

Verb

(head)

(wreak)

wreak

English

Etymology 1

(etyl) wrecan, from (etyl) ; cognate via PIE with Latin urgere (English urge), and distantly cognate to English wreck.

Verb

To cause, inflict or let out, especially if causing harm or injury.

The earthquake wreaked havoc in the city.

She wreaked her anger on his car.

* Macaulay

Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years.

(archaic) To inflict or take vengeance on.

* 1874 ,

''their woe

''Broods maddening inwardly and scorns to wreak

''Itself abroad;

* 1856-1885 —

Kill the foul thief, and wreak me for my son.

* {{quote-book

, year=1917 , year_published=2008 , edition=HTML , editor= , author=Edgar Rice Burroughs , title=A Princess of Mars , chapter= citation , genre= , publisher=The Gutenberg Project , isbn= , page= , passage=At heart they hate their horrid fates, and so wreak their poor spite on me who stand for everything they have not, … }}

(archaic) To take vengeance for.

* Fairfax

Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain.

Usage notes

The verb wreak'' is generally used in the form “wreak ''damage or harm of some sort'' (on ''something )”, and is often used in the set phrase wreak havoc, though “wreak damage”, “wreak destruction”, and “wreak revenge” are also common. Not to be confused with wreck, with similar meaning of destruction and similar etymological roots; common confusion in misspelling wreck havoc. It has become common to use wrought, the original past tense and participle for work, as the past tense and past participle for wreak'', as in ''wrought havoc'' (i.e. ''worked havoc'' for ''wreaked havoc''), due both to the fact that the weak form ''worked'' has edged out ''wrought'' from its former role almost entirely (except as an adjective referring usually to hand-worked metal goods), and via confusion from the ''wr-'' beginning both ''wreak'' and ''wrought , and probably by analogy with seek).

Derived terms

* wreak havoc

Etymology 2

From (etyl) wreke, wrake, Northern Middle English variants of wreche, influenced later by Etymology 1, above. Compare (etyl) wraak.

Noun

(en noun)

(archaic, literary) Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment.

* 1903 , George Chapman, Richard Herne Shepherd, Algernon Charles Swinburne, The Works of George Chapman :

However, no thought touch'd Minerva's mind, That any one should escape his wreak design'd.

* 2003 , John Foxe, John Cumming, Book of Martyrs and the Acts and Monuments of the Church :

For three causes Duke William entered this land to subdue Harold. One was, for that it was to him given by King Edward his nephew. The second was, to take wreak for the cruel murder of his nephew Alfred, King Edward's brother, and of the Normans, which deed he ascribed chiefly to Harold.

* 2006 , The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night - Volume 2 - Page 188:

Would that before my death I might but see my son The empery in my stead over the people hold And rush upon his foes and take on them his wreak , At push of sword and pike, in fury uncontrolled.

(archaic, literary) Punishment; retribution; payback.

* 1885': Of a surety none murdered the damsel but I; take her '''wreak on me this moment — Sir Richard Burton, ''The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night , Night 19

References

Anagrams

* English irregular verbs