ENGLISH
REFERENCE

wrought

adj.
C2 Proficiency US //ˈɹɔt// UK //ɹˈɔːt// wrought Archaic

adj. made or shaped by hand or with great effort. It often describes things made of metal or changes that have been caused by something powerful.

adj. shaped or fashioned by work or effort; frequently used to describe metalwork or as a past-participial form indicating that something has been brought about or caused.


SIMPLE

The gate is made of beautiful wrought iron.

CONTEXTUAL

The heavy storm wrought havoc on the small coastal village, destroying several wooden piers.

COMPLEX

The poet's carefully wrought verses reflect years of meticulous revision and a deep commitment to the classical tradition of formal structure.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

The past participle of Middle English werken (“to work”), from Old English wyrċan (past tense worhte, past participle (ġe)worht; cf. also the metathetic variant (ġe)wroht), from Proto-West Germanic wurkijan, from Proto-Germanic wurkijaną (“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to work”). Doublet of worked. Cognate with wright (as in wheelwright etc.), Dutch gewrocht, archaic past participle of werken (archaic past tense wrocht), Low German wracht, archaic past participle of warken (archaic past tense wrach, archaic past participle wracht).

Usage

Primarily used as a participial adjective (e.g., 'wrought iron') or in the fixed expression 'wrought havoc'.

Pitfall

The storm has wroughted damage.The storm has wrought damage.Wrought is already a past form of 'work'; adding '-ed' is a double-marking error.

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