Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA painful muscular spasm in the neck or back
More synonyms by meaning
nouna painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (‘rick’ and ‘wrick’ are British)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*wreyḱ-“to turn, wrap, tie”
- Proto-Germanic*wrigōną“to wriggle”
- Middle Low Germanwricken“to move jerkily; sprain”
- Middle Dutchwricken
- Middle Englishwricken
- Englishwrick
From Middle English wricken, probably from Middle Dutch wricken (Modern Dutch wrikken (“to wriggle”)) or Middle Low German wricken (“to move jerkily; sprain”), from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). See also Low German wriggen, German Low German wricken (“to row; scull; move back and forth”)). Compare also Danish vrikke (“to move; turn; wriggle”), Swedish vricka (“to sprain; twist; scull”).
More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
wrick. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wrick
“wrick.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wrick. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wrick,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wrick.
Source: wrick on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.