wrath

wrath · noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromwratthen“to be or become angry, to rage; to quarrel; to cause wrath, offend; to become troubled or vexed; to cause grief or harm, grieve, vex”
2. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*wreyt-“to twist”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wraiþaz“angry, furious, wroth; hostile, violent; bent, twisted”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wraiþiþu“anger, fury, wrath”
5. Old English · inherited fromwrǣþþu“ire, wrath”
6. Middle English · inherited fromwratthe“anger, hostility, distress retribution”
7. English todaywrath

The noun is derived from Middle English wratthe (“anger, hostility, distress retribution”) [and other forms], from Old English wrǣþþu (“ire, wrath”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *wraiþiþu (“anger, fury, wrath”), from *wraiþ (“angry, furious, wroth; hostile, violent; bent, twisted”) (from Proto-Germanic *wraiþaz (“angry, furious, wroth; hostile, violent; bent, twisted”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist”)) + *-iþu (suffix forming abstract nouns). Effectively analysable as wroth + -th (abstract nominal suffix); compare Dutch wreedte. The verb is derived from Middle English wratthen (“to be or become angry, to rage; to quarrel; to cause wrath, offend; to become troubled or vexed; to cause grief or harm, grieve, vex”) [and other forms], from wratthe, wretthe (noun) (see above) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs).

wrath · adjective²

A variant of wroth, probably influenced by wrath (noun) (see etymology 1).

Words from the same roots