Saint Ignatius High School

Etymology Word of the Week

Director of Admissions Pat O'Rourke '90, a self-proclaimed "word nerd," brings you his Etymology Word of the Week. Every other week he presents an online Etymology lesson just for fun!

Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd."  Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast.  Here, then, is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.  

Wrought - “worked; not crude or rough; produced or shaped by beating with a hammer, as iron or silver articles.”   From the past participle of the Middle English werken meaning “work.”  Variant of Old English worht, worchen through metathesis (transposing of 2 or more letters).  (All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com.)

RELATED WORDS/PHRASES – work, wright, wheelwright, shipwright, millwright, playwright, wrought-up, overwrought

SAMPLE SENTENCE - “The Cleveland Museum of Art recently acquired some beautiful wrought iron pieces from Rose Iron Works.”