wrack
UK: ræk | US: ræk
n. 1. Destruction or ruin (archaic/literary).
n. 2. Seaweed or marine vegetation cast ashore.
vt. 3. To wreck or destroy (obsolete).
The word "wrack" traces back to Old English wræc, meaning "punishment" or "misery," reflecting its archaic sense of destruction. By the 16th century, it became associated with maritime contexts, likely influenced by Dutch wrak (shipwreck) or Middle Low German wrack (flotsam). The seaweed meaning emerged from the idea of "castaway debris." Over time, "wreck" (from Old Norse rekkja) overshadowed "wrack" in verb usage, leaving "wrack" primarily as a noun for ruin or seaweed.
The storm left the village in utter wrack.
She collected wrack from the beach for her garden.
The pirates vowed to wrack the merchant ships (archaic).
The tide brought in piles of slimy wrack.
His mistakes led to the financial wrack of the company.