Wrench

Wrench, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wrenched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Wrenching.] [OE. wrenchen, AS. wrencan to deceive, properly, to twist, from wrenc guile, deceit, a twisting. ????. See Wrench, n.]

1. To pull with a twist; to wrest, twist, or force by violence.

Wrench his sword from him.

Forthwith this frame of mine was wrenched
With a woeful agony.

2. To strain; to sprain; hence, to distort; to pervert.

You wrenched your foot against a stone.

Wrench (rĕnch), n. [OE. wrench deceit, AS. wrenc deceit, a twisting; akin to G. rank intrigue, crookedness, renken to bend, twist, and E. wring. √144. See Wring, and cf. Ranch, v. t.]

1. Trick; deceit; fraud; stratagem. [Obs.]

His wily wrenches thou ne mayst not flee.

2. A violent twist, or a pull with twisting.

He wringeth them such a wrench.

The injurious effect upon biographic literature of all such wrenches to the truth, is diffused everywhere.

3. A sprain; an injury by twisting, as in a joint.

4. Means; contrivance. [Obs.] Bacon.

5. An instrument, often a simple bar or lever with jaws or an angular orifice either at the end or between the ends, for exerting a twisting strain, as in turning bolts, nuts, screw taps, etc.; a screw key. Many wrenches have adjustable jaws for grasping nuts, etc., of different sizes.

6. (Mech.) The system made up of a force and a couple of forces in a plane perpendicular to that force. Any number of forces acting at any points upon a rigid body may be compounded so as to be equivalent to a wrench.

Carriage wrench, a wrench adapted for removing or tightening the nuts that confine the wheels on the axles, or for turning the other nuts or bolts of a carriage or wagon. -- Monkey wrench. See under Monkey. -- Wrench hammer, a wrench with the end shaped so as to admit of being used as a hammer.