wry

English

/ɹaɪ/

adj
Definitions
  • Turned away, contorted (of the face or body).
  • Dryly humorous; sardonic or bitterly ironic.
  • Twisted, bent, crooked.
  • Deviating from the right direction; misdirected; out of place.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wrien (cover) inherited from Old English wrīġian (press forward, strive, struggle, twist, bend, go, turn, venture, endeavor) inherited from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (wriggle) derived from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (turn, tie, wrap, twist, bind, weave, bend), *wreyḱ- (turn, tie, wrap, twist, bind, weave, bend).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*wreyḱ-

Gloss

turn, tie, wrap, twist, bind, weave, bend

Concept
Semantic Field

Motion

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

Emoji
🙃

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms