Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

æ
þ

wrenc

  • noun [ masculine ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
wrenc, es; m.
Wright's OE grammar
§387;
a trick, artifice, wile, stratagem
Show examples

  • On swá hwylcum wrence (arte) worda ǽnig swerige,

      Scint. 136, 18.

  • Wrencum

    modis.

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 57, 61.

  • Ðæt lease lot, ðe beoþ mid ðám wrencum bewrigen

    fraus, mendaci compta colore.

    • Bt. 4
      • ;
    • Fox 8, 17
      • :
    • Met. 4, 47.

  • Tó fela manna wearð mid þyllícan wrencan þurh deofol forlǽred,

      Wulfst. 54, 12.

  • Tógeánes ðæs deófles wrencum,

      198, 12.

  • Ðá sceolde Ælfríc lǽdan ða fyrde, ac hé teáh forð ðá his ealdan wrenceas, . . . gebrǽd hé hine seócne,

    • Chr. 1003
      • ;
    • Erl. 139, 7.
a stratagem in war
Show examples

  • Hé hié mid ðæm ilcan wrence beswác, ðe hé æt heora ǽrran métingge dyde,

    • Ors. 4, 9
      • ;
    • Swt. 188, 32
      • :
    • 6, 36
      • ;
    • Swt. 294, 21.

  • Siþþan Rómáne gesáwan ðæt him mon swelcne wrenc tó dyde, ðá flugon hié,

    • 4, 1
      • ;
    • Swt. 156, 8.
a modulation of the voice
Show examples

  • Biþ ðæs hleóðres swég eallum songcræftum swétra, and wynsumra wrenca gehwylcum,

    • Exon. Th. 206, 28
      • ;
    • Ph. 133.

  • Ic þurh múþ sprece mongum reordum, wrencum singe (vox mea diversis variatur pulcra figuris), . . . ic búgendre stefne styrme,

    • 390, 15
      • ;
    • Rä. 9, 2.
Etymology
[
Þurh his micele wrences beiæt he þone ærcebiscoprice,
  • Chr. 1127
    • ;
  • Erl. 156, 1.
Gif þærwære an unwreste wrenc ꝥ he mihte get beswicen anes
  • Crist, 1131
    • ;
  • Erl. 260, 4.
Paris mid pret wrence biwon Elene,
    Laym. 81.
Þis sacrament unwrihð his (the devil's) wrenches,
    A. R. 270, 10.
Swikele men and ful of vuele wrenche,
    Misc. 66, 247.
With wrenkes and wyles,
    Pr. C. 1360.
He (a wrestler) can his wrenches wel forhele,
    O. and N. 798.
Þis is þe soþe wei, withouten eny wrenche,
    R. Glouc. 55, 2.
His wyly wrenches enon ne mayst nat flee,
    Chauc. Ch. Y. T. 1081.
Wrenche or sleythe of falsheed dolositas, fraudulencia, cautela,
    Prompt. Parv. 533, and see note.
Ger. rank a trick.
]
Similar entries
v. lot-, nearu-, searu-, siru-, smeá-, un-, weorold-wrenc.
Linked entries
v.  wrencan.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “wrenc.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/36635.

Checked: 1
Full form

Word-wheel

  • wrenc, n.

Copyright

All the data provided here are free for any purpose. If you use the data for academic purposes, we ask that you kindly cite us as your source. In case you need a large portion of the dictionary data or you need it in a specific format, let us know through the contact form, we are happy to do custom database dumps for researchers.

How to cite

You can cite the entries of the online version of the dictionary, or you can cite the scanned pages of the original paper editions.

  • To cite the online version of the dictionary, click the icon right under the entry.
  • To cite the scanned paper version of the dictionary, click the "show/hide this scanned page" link under the entry, check the scan and use the citation information right above it.