Wrest — Wrest, n. 1. The act of wresting; a wrench; a violent twist; hence, distortion; perversion. Hooker. [1913 Webster] 2. Active or moving power. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] 3. A key to tune a stringed instrument of music. [1913 Webster] The… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Wrest — Wrest, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wrested}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wresting}.] [OE. wresten, AS. wr?stan; akin to wr?? a twisted band, and wr[=i]?n to twist. See {Writhe}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To turn; to twist; esp., to twist or extort by violence; to pull of … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
wrest´er — wrest «rehst», verb, noun. –v.t. 1. to twist, pull, or tear away with force; wrench away: »After much pulling and tugging he wrested the stick from the jaws of the dog. 2. to take by force: »The nobles wrested the power from the king. 3.… … Useful english dictionary
wrest — [rest] v [T always + adverb/preposition] [: Old English; Origin: wrAstan] 1.) formal to take power or influence away from someone, especially when this is difficult ▪ They are fighting to wrest control of the party from the old leaders. 2.)… … Dictionary of contemporary English
wrest — wrest; wrest·er; turn·wrest; … English syllables
wrest — index contort, deprive, exact, extort, levy, seize (confiscate), sequester (seize property), slant … Law dictionary
wrest — [ rest ] verb transitive 1. ) MAINLY JOURNALISM to get land, power, or possessions from someone, usually by fighting: Russia wrested control of the northern Caucasus in the 19th century. 2. ) FORMAL to pull something away from someone using force … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
wrest — (v.) O.E. wræstan to twist, wrench, from P.Gmc. *wraistijanan (Cf. O.N. reista to bend, twist ), derivative of *wrig , *wreik to turn (see WRY (Cf. wry)). Meaning to pull, detach (something) is recorded from c.1300. Meaning to take by force (in… … Etymology dictionary
wrest — vb *wrench, wring Analogous words: twist, bend (see CURVE): usurp, *arrogate, confiscate: extort, extract, elicit (see EDUCE): distort, contort (see DEFORM) … New Dictionary of Synonyms
wrest — ► VERB 1) forcibly pull from a person s grasp. 2) take (power or control) after effort or resistance. ORIGIN Old English, «twist, tighten»; related to WRIST(Cf. ↑wrist) … English terms dictionary
wrest — [rest] vt. [ME wresten < OE wræstan, to twist violently, akin to ON reista < IE base * wer , to turn, bend, twist > WRITHE] 1. to turn or twist; esp., to pull or force away violently with a twisting motion 2. to take or extract by force; … English World dictionary
