ENGLISH
REFERENCE

writhe

v.
US //ˈɹɪθ// UK //ɹˈaɪð// writhe Archaic
Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīþan, from Proto-West Germanic wrīþan, from Proto-Germanic wrīþaną (“to weave, twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). Cognate with Middle Dutch writen (“to turn, twist”), dialectal German reiden (“to turn, twist, lace”), Danish vride (“to twist”), Swedish vrida (“to turn, twist, wind”), French rider (“to wrinkle, furrow, ruffle”, (< Germanic)). Compare also Lithuanian riēsti (“to unbend, wind, roll”).

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