wrenchen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wrenche, wrynche
• wrenk, wrenke (Northern)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English wrenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrankijan, from Proto-Germanic *wrankijaną; equivalent to wrench (“trick”) +‎ -en (infinitival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwrɛnt͡ʃən/, /ˈwrɛnkən/, /ˈwri-/

Verb

wrenchen (third-person singular simple present wrencheth, present participle wrenchende, wrenchynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle wrenched)

1. To move about in pain; to writhe.
2. To contort or twist; to move out of shape.
3. To wrench away; to forcefully take or push.
4. (rare) To stray; to deviate or cause to deviate.
5. (figuratively, rare) To deflect or shed; to rid oneself of.
6. (figuratively, rare) To distort or contort; to make unrecognisable.
7. (figuratively, rare) To plot or plan; to devise a strategy.

Conjugation

Conjugation of wrenchen (weak irregular/in -ed)

infinitive	(to) wrenchen, wrenche
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	wrenche	wreynte, wrenched
2nd-person singular	wrenchest	wreyntest, wrenchedest
3rd-person singular	wrencheth	wreynte, wrenched
subjunctive singular	wrenche
imperative singular		—
plural1	wrenchen, wrenche	wreynten, wreynte, wrencheden, wrenchede
imperative plural	wrencheth, wrenche	—
participles	wrenchynge, wrenchende	wreynt, wrenched, ywreynt, ywrenched

¹Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: wrench
• Middle Scots: wrenk, wrink
  • >? Scots: renk

References

• “tedden, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.