wrecan

Part of speech: verb

Verb type: strong verb (5)

(p wræc sing, wrǽcon pl; p.p. wrecen) 1. to compel, coerce, impel; 2. to expel, banish, drive away; 3. to avenge, take vengeance; 4. to punish; 5. to inflict; to cause (also wreocan)

Etymology

[Mod E WREAK ← Prot-Germ *wrekan; Goth wrikan “to persecute”; O Fris wreka “to avenge”; O Sax wrekan “to avenge”; Dt wreken “to avenge”; OHG rehhan “to avenge; to punish” (Mod G rächen); Icel reka “to drive; to pursue; to take vengeance”]

Paradigm

4.1.5. - V class

In Proto-Germanic (and also in Gothic), the fifth class of strong verbs was characterized by the vowel interchange i/ă + any consonant, except sonant. In Anglo-Saxon, the fifth class of ablaut/vowel gradation of strong verbs is represented by four main versions: (a) the version with vowel -e- in its pres tense stem; (b) the version with vowel -i- in its pres tns stem and the gemination of the following consonant; (c) the version with consonant change in accordance with Verner’s law; and (d) the version with the diphthongized vowel after palatal consonant.

In addition, (e) the fifth class of the Anglo-Saxon strong verbs includes the version, which is characterized by the vowel contraction resulting from the dropping of the consonant h (and also by some other anomalies).

V class	infinitive	past tense singular	past tense plural	past participle
to measure	(a) metan	mæt	mǽton	meten
to sit, be seated	(b) sittan	sæt	sǽton	seten
to say, speak	(c) cweðan	cwæþ	cwǽdon	cweden
to give; to grant	(d) ȝiefan	ȝeaf	ȝéafon	ȝiefen
to see	(e) séon	seah	sǽȝon, sáwon, séȝon	seȝen, sewen

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