wrench
(rĕnch)
[From Middle English wrenchen, to twist, from Old English wrencan.]
noun
- A sudden sharp, forcible twist or turn.
- An injury produced by twisting or straining.
- A sudden tug at one's emotions; a surge of compassion, sorrow, or anguish.
- A break or parting that causes emotional distress.
- The pain so associated: felt a wrench when he was parted from his children.
- A distortion in the original form or meaning of something written or spoken; twisted interpretation.
- Any of various hand or power tools, often having fixed or adjustable jaws, used for gripping, turning, or twisting objects such as nuts, bolts, or pipes.
verb: wrenched, wrench·ing, wrench·es.
transitive verb
- To twist or turn suddenly and forcibly.
- To twist and sprain: I wrenched my knee.
- To move, extract, or force free by pulling violently; yank. See synonyms at jerk1
- To pull at the feelings or emotions of; distress: It wrenched her to watch them go.
- To distort or twist the original character or import of: wrenched the text to prove her point.
intransitive verb
- To give a wrench, twist, or turn.
derivatives
- wrench́ing·ly
- adverb
