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Origin and history of wrench

wrench(v.)

Middle English wrenchen, "twist, perform a quick turn; twist (something) with effort or violence," from Old English wrencan "to twist," from Proto-Germanic *wrankjan.

This is reconstructed to be from PIE *wreng- "to turn" (source also of Sanskrit vrnakti "turns, twists," Lithuanian rengtis "to grow crooked, to writhe"), a nasalized variant of *werg- "to turn" (source also of Latin vergere "to turn, tend toward"), according to Watkins from root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend." Germanic cognates include Old High German renken, German renken "to twist, wrench," Old English wringan "to wring."

The transitive sense of "injure or pain by twisting action" is from 1520s; as "pull or draw with torsion," by 1580s. Related: Wrenched, wrenching.

wrench(n.)

Middle English wrench "trick, wile, deception," from Old English wrenc "a twisting, artifice, trick;" see wrench (v.). Older senses (on the notion of "crooked action") are obsolete. By 1520s as "violent twist or turn given to something." The meaning "tool with jaws at one end for turning or holding" is recorded by 1794.

Entries linking to wrench

monkey-wrench(n.)

old style of wrench with a jaw adjustable by a screw mechanism on the handle, 1841, from monkey (n.) + wrench (n.). Monkey was used in 19c. especially by sailors, as a modifier for various types of small equipment made for specific work (monkey-block, monkey-boat, monkey-spar, etc.), and the same notion probably is behind the name of the tool. The figurative sense of "something that obstructs operations" is from the notion of one getting jammed in the gears of machinery (compare English spanner in the works).

*wer-(2)

Proto-Indo-European root forming words meaning "to turn, bend."

It might form all or part of: adverse; anniversary; avert; awry; controversy; converge; converse (adj.) "exact opposite;" convert; diverge; divert; evert; extroversion; extrovert; gaiter; introrse; introvert; invert; inward; malversation; obverse; peevish; pervert; prose; raphe; reverberate; revert; rhabdomancy; rhapsody; rhombus; ribald; sinistrorse; stalwart; subvert; tergiversate; transverse; universe; verbena; verge (v.1) "tend, incline;" vermeil; vermicelli; vermicular; vermiform; vermin; versatile; verse (n.) "poetry;" version; verst; versus; vertebra; vertex; vertigo; vervain; vortex; -ward; warp; weird; worm; worry; worth (adj.) "significant, valuable, of value;" worth (v.) "to come to be;" wrangle; wrap; wrath; wreath; wrench; wrest; wrestle; wriggle; wring; wrinkle; wrist; writhe; wrong; wroth; wry.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit vartate "turns round, rolls;" Avestan varet- "to turn;" Hittite hurki- "wheel;" Greek rhatane "stirrer, ladle;" Latin vertere (frequentative versare) "to turn, turn back, be turned; convert, transform, translate; be changed," versus "turned toward or against;" Old Church Slavonic vrŭteti "to turn, roll," Russian vreteno "spindle, distaff;" Lithuanian verčiu, versti "to turn;" German werden, Old English weorðan "to become;" Old English -weard "toward," originally "turned toward," weorthan "to befall," wyrd "fate, destiny," literally "what befalls one;" Welsh gwerthyd "spindle, distaff;" Old Irish frith "against."