*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of awry

From Middle English awry, awrie. By surface analysis, a- + wry.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Turned or twisted toward one side; crooked, distorted, out of place; wry. · Wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss, off course

adv

Obliquely, crookedly; askew. · Perversely, improperly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English awry, awrie. By surface analysis, a- + wry.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*wreyḱ-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionawryenm
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*wreyḱ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "awry"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English awry"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
      "args": {
        "1": "+pre",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "a",
        "4": "wry"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, a- + wry"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "awry",
      "awry#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "awrie",
      "awrie#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "wry",
      "wry#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Turned or twisted toward one side; crooked, distorted, out of place; wry.",
        "Wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss, off course"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "recordId": "26983f84374bfccf4ac54d032b654ba6674c15552e4307301be55d7cd2980cb5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d625eabf053ec718822d2a3396a10b89f6607e5333b720ebdd44e36833f57c8c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 204001
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Obliquely, crookedly; askew.",
        "Perversely, improperly."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a0d0a2f8217c32b1d429451f81903294ef92726d0970b04011d072352c4f6ab6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6802a7399d5e1300eae3f6ef9bc3acf6b6bf1e5458884205b90dcd2b419c0048",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 204000
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for awry →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXdyeQ