Wrench

Pronunciation

• enPR: rÄ•nch IPA: /ɹɛnt͡ʃ̩̩/
• Rhymes: -É›ntʃ

Origin

From Old English wrenċan, from Proto-Germanic *wrankijaną. Compare German renken.

Alternative forms

• (15^th century)
• wrenche
• (15^th century)
• wrinche
• (16^th century)
• wringe

Full definition of wrench

Noun

1. (obsolete) A trick or artifice. From VIII century.
• c. 1210, MS. Cotton Caligula A IX f.246Mon mai longe liues wene;
  Ac ofte him liedh the wrench.
2. (obsolete) Deceit; guile; treachery. From XIII century.
3. A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug. From XVI century.
• 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula Chapter 21With a wrench, which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us.
4. An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain. From XVI century.
5. (obsolete) A turn at an acute angle. From XVI century.
6. (archaic) A winch or windlass. From XVI century.
7. (obsolete) A screw. From XVI century.
8. A distorting change from the original meaning. From XVII century.
9. (US) A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes; a spanner. From XVIII century.
10. A violent emotional change caused by separation. From XIX century.
11. (physics) In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body. From XIX century.
12. (obsolete) means; contrivance

Synonyms

• (tool) spanner (UK, Australia)

Derived terms

Verb

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To violently move in a turn or writhe. From XI century.
2. (transitive) To pull or twist violently. From XIII century. With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To turn aside or deflect. From XIII century.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To slander. From XIV century.
5. (transitive, obsolete) To tighten with or as if with a winch. From XVI century.
6. (transitive) To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting. From XVI century. Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!
7. (transitive) To distort from the original meaning. From XVI century.
8. (transitive, obsolete) To thrust a weapon in a twisting motion. From XVI century.
9. (intransitive, fencing, obsolete) To disarm an opponent by whirling his or her blade away. From XVIII century.
10. (transitive) To rack with pain. From XVIII century.
11. (transitive) To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist. From XVIII century.
12. (transitive) To use the tool known as a wrench. From XIX century. The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose.