different between wretch vs wench
wretch
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English wrecche, from Old English wre??a (“exile, outcast”), from Proto-Germanic *wrakjô (“exile, fugitive, warrior”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to track, follow”). Doublet of garçon.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??t?/
- Rhymes: -?t?
- Homophone: retch
Noun
wretch (plural wretches)
- An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
- An unpleasant, annoying, worthless, or despicable person.
- 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 532:
- […] Alaeddin ate and drank and was cheered and after he had rested and had recovered spirits he cried, "Ah, O my mother, I have a sore grievance against thee for leaving me to that accursed wight who strave to compass my destruction and designed to take my life. Know that I beheld Death with mine own eyes at the hand of this damned wretch, whom thou didst certify to be my uncle; […]
- 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 532:
- (archaic) An exile. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Derived terms
- wretched
Translations
Etymology 2
Verb
wretch (third-person singular simple present wretches, present participle wretching, simple past and past participle wretched)
- Misspelling of retch.
Further reading
- wretch in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- wretch in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- wretch at OneLook Dictionary Search
- Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “wretch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
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wench
English
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English wench, wenche (“female baby; girl (especially unmarried); maiden, young woman; bondwoman; serving maid; beloved, sweetheart; concubine, mistress; harlot, prostitute”) [and other forms], a shortened form of Middle English wenchel (“girl; maiden; child”), from Old English wen?el, win?el (“child; servant; slave”), from Proto-Germanic *wankil?, from Proto-Germanic *wankijan? (“to sway; waver”). The English word is cognate with Old High German wenken (“to waver; to give way, yield”), wank?n (“to totter”).
The verb and adjective are derived from the noun.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /w?nt?/
- Rhymes: -?nt?
Noun
wench (plural wenches)
- (archaic, now dialectal or humorous, possibly offensive) A girl or young woman, especially a buxom or lively one.
- (specifically) A girl or young woman of a lower class.
- (specifically) A girl or young woman of a lower class.
- (archaic or dialectal) Used as a term of endearment for a female person, especially a wife, daughter, or girlfriend: darling, sweetheart.
- (archaic) A woman servant; a maidservant.
- (archaic) A promiscuous woman; a mistress (“other woman in an extramarital relationship”).
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous woman, Thesaurus:mistress
- (archaic) A prostitute.
- (US, archaic or historical) A black woman (of any age), especially if in a condition of servitude.
- Synonym: (dated, literary, now offensive) negress
Derived terms
Descendants
- Sranan Tongo: wenke
Translations
Verb
wench (third-person singular simple present wenches, present participle wenching, simple past and past participle wenched)
- (intransitive, archaic, now humorous) To frequent prostitutes; to whore; also, to womanize.
Conjugation
Derived terms
- wencher
Translations
References
Anagrams
- chewn
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