I. ˈrek noun
Etymology: Middle English wrek, from Anglo-French, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse rek wreck; akin to Old English wrecan to drive
Date: 12th century
1. : something cast up on the land by the sea especially after a shipwreck
2.
a. : shipwreck
b. : the action of wrecking or fact or state of being wrecked : destruction
c. : a violent and destructive crash
was injured in a car wreck
3.
a. : a hulk or the ruins of a wrecked ship
b. : the broken remains of something wrecked or otherwise ruined
c. : something disabled or in a state of ruin or dilapidation
the house was a wreck
also : a person or animal of broken constitution, health, or spirits
he's a nervous wreck
II. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. : to cast ashore
2.
a. : to reduce to a ruinous state by or as if by violence
a country wreck ed by war
ambition wreck ed his marriage
b. : shipwreck
c. : to ruin, damage, or imperil by a wreck
wreck ed the car
3. : bring about , wreak
wreck havoc
intransitive verb
1. : to become wrecked
2. : to rob, salvage, or repair wreckage or a wreck