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Wrench
Definitions
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
- 1 A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug.
"With a wrench, which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us."
- 2 a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt wordnet
- 3 An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.
- 4 a jerky pulling movement wordnet
- 5 A trick or artifice. obsolete
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments wordnet
- 7 Deceit; guile; treachery. obsolete
- 8 A turn at an acute angle. obsolete
- 9 A winch or windlass. archaic
- 10 A screw. obsolete
- 11 A distorting change from the original meaning.
- 12 A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes. Canada, Philippines, US
- 13 An adjustable spanner used by plumbers. UK
- 14 A violent emotional change caused by separation.
- 15 In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.
- 16 means; contrivance obsolete
"But weighing one thing with another he gave Britain for lost; but resolved to make his profit of this business of Britain, as a quarrel for war; and that of Naples, as a wrench and mean for peace"
- 17 In coursing, the act of bringing the hare round at less than a right angle, worth half a point in the recognised code of points for judging.
- 1 To pull or twist violently. transitive
"With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man."
- 2 twist suddenly so as to sprain wordnet
- 3 To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting. transitive
"Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!"
- 4 twist and compress, as if in pain or anguish wordnet
- 5 To distort the original meaning of; to misrepresent. transitive
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- 6 twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates wordnet
- 7 To rack with pain; to make hurt or distressed. transitive
"And what actinic, mind-wrenching form could the countermeme take? How could human hands assemble something so devastatingly powerful and hold it steady; what human mind could wield it without exploding from the inside out?"
- 8 make a sudden twisting motion wordnet
- 9 To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist. transitive
- 10 To use a wrench; to twist with a wrench. transitive
"The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose."
- 11 To violently move in a turn or writhe. intransitive, obsolete
- 12 To tighten with or as if with a winch. obsolete, transitive
"[S]end me that hag hither; she shall avouch what it was that she hath given to the wretch Dryfesdale, or the pilniewinks and thumbikins shall wrench it out of her finger-joints."
- 13 To thrust (a weapon) in a twisting motion. obsolete, transitive
- 14 To disarm an opponent by whirling their blade away. intransitive, obsolete
Etymology
From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”).
From Middle English wrenchen, from Old English wrenċan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrankijan, from Proto-Germanic *wrankijaną. Compare German renken.
From wrench, in the sense of trick, artifice, deceit, thus a nickname for a sly and wily person.
See also for "wrench"
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