*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rack

From Middle English rakke, rekke, from Middle Dutch rac, recke, rec (Dutch rek), see rekken.

7 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 7 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other. · Any of various kinds of frame for holding luggage or other objects on a vehicle or vessel. · A device, incorporating a ratchet, used to torture victims by stretching them beyond their natural limits. · A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes.

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

From Middle English rakke, rekke, from Middle Dutch rac, recke, rec (Dutch rek), see rekken.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*h₃reǵ-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentionrakkeenm
  • Derivation mentionracdum
  • Cognate mentionreknl

This page abbreviates 17 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To place in or hang on a rack. · To torture (someone) on the rack. · To cause (someone) to suffer pain. · To stretch or strain; to harass, or oppress by extortion.

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

From Old English reċċan (“to stretch out, extend”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 10 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To drive; move; go forward rapidly; stir. · To fly, as vapour or broken clouds.

noun

Thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapour in the sky.

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

From Middle English reken, from Old Norse reka (“to be drifted, tost”) The noun is from Middle English rak, rakke, from Middle English rek (“drift; thing tossed ashore; jetsam”), from the verb.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionrekenenm
  • Derivation mentionrekanon
  • Inherited-form mentionrakenm
  • Derivation mentionrekenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
verb

To clarify, and thereby deter further fermentation of, beer, wine or cider by draining or siphoning it from the dregs.

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

Inherited from Middle English rakken.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

A fast amble.

verb

To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace.

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

See rack (“that which stretches”), or rock (verb).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗
noun

A wreck; destruction.

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

See wreck.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 7

Original entry ↗
noun

A young rabbit, or its skin.

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

Uncertain. Perhaps a contraction of rabbock, an alteration ( + -ock) of rabbit.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 rack →

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
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-cmFjaw