wretch
/ɹɛt͡ʃ/ noun
Forms wretches
- noun An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
- noun An unpleasant, annoying, worthless, or despicable person.
- noun (archaic) An exile.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English wrecche, from Old English wreċċa (“exile, outcast”), from Proto-Germanic *wrakjô (“exile, fugitive, warrior”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“to track, follow”). Doublet of garçon.
From confusion with the noun.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A miserable person; one profoundly unhappy. "The wretch that lies in woe." Shak.
- noun One sunk in vice or degradation; a base, despicable person; a vile knave; as, a profligate wretch.
Etymology [OE. wrecche, AS. wrecca, wræcca, an exile, a wretch, fr. wrecan to drive out, punish; properly, an exile, one driven out, akin to AS. wræc an exile, OS. wrekkio a stranger, OHG. reccheo an exile. See Wreak, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “wretch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details