n. & v.
n. 1 a violent twist or oblique pull or act of tearing off. 2 an adjustable tool like a spanner for gripping and turning nuts etc. 3 an instance of painful uprooting or parting (leaving home was a great wrench). 4 Physics a combination of a couple with the force along its axis.
v.tr. 1 twist or pull violently round or sideways. 2 (often foll. by off, away, etc.) pull off with a wrench. 3 distort (facts) to suit a theory etc.
[ (earlier as verb:) OE wrencan twist ]