*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of wry

From Middle English wrien, from Old English wrīġian (“to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture”), from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to tur

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 ↗
adj

Turned away, contorted (of the face or body). · Dryly humorous; sardonic or ironic, usually in a way that suggests acknowledgement of a problem or difficult situation. · Twisted, bent, crooked. · Deviating from the right direction; misdirected; out of place.

noun

Distortion.

verb

To turn (away); to swerve or deviate. · To divert; to cause to turn away. · To twist or contort (the body, face, etc.).

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

From Middle English wrien, from Old English wrīġian (“to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture”), from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Compare awry, wriggle.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

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": "wrien"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wrien"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wrīġian",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English wrīġian (“to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wrigōną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to wriggle"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*wreyḱ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to turn, wrap, tie"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wrien",
      "wrien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wrīġian",
      "wrigian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*wrigōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wrigōną"
    ],
    [
      "*wreyḱ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wreyḱ-"
    ],
    [
      "*wer-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wer-"
    ],
    [
      "awry",
      "awry#English"
    ],
    [
      "wriggle",
      "wriggle#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Turned away, contorted (of the face or body).",
        "Dryly humorous; sardonic or ironic, usually in a way that suggests acknowledgement of a problem or difficult situation.",
        "Twisted, bent, crooked.",
        "Deviating from the right direction; misdirected; out of place."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "800027ea210d0b8817fc39ae67f57e51b8dbcdd33f4110578291fb20c26f039f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d9051002073809f0df3f1fb1ab6bb2b5ee3a59d7c1987d806768c9f7c9869e4e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226723
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Distortion."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "regional"
      ],
      "recordId": "ce80dba63fab0ceb6c0b90620aeb9b531a2922938158c1d1dc75b82dda9238f7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3996adf27edc0fb66583745ac367dd219a6e6fd361faa67487d91a5b2a29d4dc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226725
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To turn (away); to swerve or deviate.",
        "To divert; to cause to turn away.",
        "To twist or contort (the body, face, etc.)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "fd83cacb20ef10a7a26713f7151410848fcb66fc04f18916650010b5ea796bf6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9212007c160cce752aec882c7d0ef8cec6af9699f218b1253d92c9246d01e617",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226724
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To cover; clothe; cover up; cloak; hide.

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

From Middle English wryen, wrien, wreon, wrihen, from Old English wrēon (“to cover, clothe, envelop”), from Proto-West Germanic *wrīhan, from Proto-Germanic *wrīhaną (“to wrap, cover”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "wryen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wryen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wrēon",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to cover, clothe, envelop"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English wrēon (“to cover, clothe, envelop”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*wrīhan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wrīhan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wrīhaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to wrap, cover"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wrīhaną (“to wrap, cover”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*wreyḱ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to turn, wrap, tie"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wryen",
      "wryen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wrien",
      "wrien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wreon",
      "wreon#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wrihen",
      "wrihen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wrēon",
      "wreon#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*wrīhan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wrīhan"
    ],
    [
      "*wrīhaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wrīhaną"
    ],
    [
      "*wreyḱ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wreyḱ-"
    ],
    [
      "*wer-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wer-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cover; clothe; cover up; cloak; hide."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "8dac43a5de8bb9bc32bb94985d4075a1c9c6b4a24a5af54500982108ce680220",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bce8fd05b212485c520a874859760ac0a0740641546a5bf680b9757e672e1cf4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 226726
    }
  ],
  "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 wry →

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-d3J5