Wretch vs Wrench - What's the difference?

wretch | wrench |

In archaic terms the difference between wretch and wrench

is that wretch is an exile while wrench is a winch or windlass.

As nouns the difference between wretch and wrench

is that wretch is an unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person while wrench is a trick or artifice.

As a verb wrench is

to violently move in a turn or writhe.

wretch

English

Noun

(es)

An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.

*{{quote-book

, year=1742 , author=Henry Fielding , title=Joseph Andrews , chapter=12 citation , passage=The poor wretch , who lay motionless a long time, just began to recover his senses as a stage-coach came by.}}

*{{quote-book

, year=1789 , author=Watkin Tench , title=The Expedition to Botany Bay , chapter=14 citation , passage=The four unhappy wretches labouring under sentence of banishment were freed from their fetters, to rejoin their former society; and three days given as holidays to every convict in the colony.}}

An unpleasant, annoying person.

*{{quote-book

, year=1740 , author=Samuel Richardson , title=Pamela , chapter=71 citation , passage=Swear to me but, thou bold wretch ! said she, swear to me, that Pamela Andrews is really and truly thy lawful wife, without sham, without deceit, without double-meaning; and I know what I have to say!}}

*{{quote-book

, year=1823 , author=Walter Scott , title=Saint Ronan's Well , chapter=32 citation , passage=I asked that selfish wretch , Winterblossom, to walk down with me to view her distress, and the heartless beast told me he was afraid of infection!}}

(archaic) An exile. (rfex)

External links

* * *

wrench

English

(wikipedia wrench)

Alternative forms

* ** wrenche * ** wrinche * ** wringe

Noun

(wrenches)

(obsolete) A trick or artifice.

* c. 1210 , MS. Cotton Caligula A IX f.246

Mon mai longe liues wene; / Ac ofte him liedh the wrench .

(obsolete) Deceit; guile; treachery.

A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug.

* 1897 , (Bram Stoker), (Dracula) Chapter 21

With a wrench , which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us.

An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.

(obsolete) A turn at an acute angle.

(archaic) A winch or windlass.

(obsolete) A screw.

A distorting change from the original meaning.

(US) A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes; a spanner.

A violent emotional change caused by separation.

(physics) In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.

(obsolete) means; contrivance

(Francis Bacon)

Synonyms

* (tool) spanner (UK, Australia)

Derived terms

* adjustable wrench * socket wrench * monkey-wrench, monkey wrench, monkeywrench * pipe wrench * screw wrench * torque wrench * torsion wrench * tube wrench * dog bone wrench

Verb

(es)

(obsolete) To violently move in a turn or writhe.

To pull or twist violently.

With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man.

(obsolete) To turn aside or deflect.

(obsolete) To slander.

(obsolete) To tighten with or as if with a winch.

To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting.

Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!

To distort from the original meaning.

(obsolete) To thrust a weapon in a twisting motion.

(intransitive, fencing, obsolete) To disarm an opponent by whirling his or her blade away.

To rack with pain.

To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist.

To use the tool known as a wrench.

The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose.

External links

* (Wrench)