Wrong v.

Also α. 5 wronge, 6 arch. wrongen; β. 4– (latterly Sc. and north. dial.) wrang, 9 n. e. Sc. vrang. [f. WRONG a.]

  I.  trans. 1. To do wrong or injury to (a person); to treat with injustice, prejudice or harshness; to deal unfairly with, withhold some act of justice from (some one).

  In frequent use from c. 1600.

  α.  c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 11868. Þen schul we ryghte, þat now vs wranges.

c. 1400.  Apol. Lollards, 64. Now are iust men oft wrongid, and schrewis vnpunischid.

1479.  Paston Lett., III. 266. He wyll be with me ayenst myn oncle in iche mater … that he entendyth to wrong me in.

1496–7.  Act 12 Hen. VII., c. 12 § 4. At the complaynte of the Constable … in the name of any party so hurted or wronged.

1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 38. Shewynge hymselfe to be rather glad to be so despysed & wronged.

1596.  Spenser, State Irel., Wks. (Globe), 623. By this Statute the sayd Irish Lord is wronged, for that he is cutt of from his customarye services.

1611.  Bible, Prov. viii. 36. Hee that sinneth against me, wrongeth his owne soule.

1654.  Bramhall, Just Vind., iv. (1661), 73. Why should it be in the power of a subject … to wrong his Prince and his Country?

1697.  Dryden, Æneis, VII. 515. To this false Foreigner you give your Throne, And wrong a Friend, a Kinsman, and a Son.

1720, etc.  [see RIGHT v. 7].

1748.  Richardson, Clarissa (1768), I. 172. Vilely suspicious of … [his servants] wronging him … he is always changing.

1792.  Anecd. W. Pitt, II. xxix. 14. The Americans have been wronged. They have been driven to madness by injustice.

1839.  Dickens, Nickleby, xx. [That] day of reckoning … will be a heavy one for you if they are wronged.

1881.  Act 44–45 Vict., c. 58 § 180 (2 d). An officer … who thinks himself wronged by his commanding officer.

  refl.  1598.  Shaks., Merry W., III. iii. 178. Good master Ford, be contented: You wrong your selfe too much.

1683.  D. A., Art Converse, 83. We wrong ourselves if we oppose their Sentiments.

1860.  Tennyson, Sea Dreams, 168. His gain is loss; for he that wrongs his friend Wrongs himself more.

  β.  1423.  James I., Kingis Q., xcii. Thus were thai wrangit that did no forfet.

c. 1459.  Reg. Aberbrothoc (Bann. Cl.), II. 105. Ewyl myndit personis … wrangis and tribulis ws.

c. 1540.  Dr. Doubble Ale, a iv b. Some wolde he shuld be hanged Or els he shulde be wranged.

1596.  Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.), II. 182. J suffirit him nocht in ane iot to be wrangte.

1784.  Cowper, Task, III. 101. Hypocrisy, detest her as we may, (And no man’s hatred ever wrong’d her yet) May claim this merit.

1792.  Burns, Bonie Lesley, iv. He’d look into thy bonie face, And say, ‘I canna wrang thee.’

1793.  R. Gray, Poems, 27. Some silent sang, And glow’rt as they were wranged.

1825.  Jamieson, Suppl., s.v.

  b.  To violate or do violence to; to treat unfairly or without due respect.

c. 1449.  Pecock, Repr., I. xiii. 70. So that he not wrongee [sic] the lawe of kinde … neither therbi wrongee Holi Scriprure.

1592.  Soliman & Pers., III. i. Spare me not, for then thou wrongst my honour.

1602.  Shaks., Ham., V. ii. 263. I do receiue your offer’d loue like loue And wil not wrong it.

1670.  Dryden, Conq. Granada, III. i. You wrong our Friendship when your Right you name.

1706.  E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 45. Without wronging the Rule of the Gospel.

1775.  Sheridan, Duenna, III. vi. I would return it, but that I must touch it that way, and so wrong my oath.

1784.  Burns, 1st Epist. to Davie, viii. To say aught less wad wrang the cartes, And flatt’ry I detest.

1808.  Scott, Marm., III. Introd. 111. The friendship thus thy judgment wronging With praises not to me belonging.

1847.  Tennyson, Princess, VII. 221. She pray’d me not to judge their cause from her That wrong’d it.

1848.  Dickens, Dombey, xix. Rely on my not wronging your forbearance and consideration.

1855.  Tennyson, Maud, IV. iii. You wrong your beauty … in being so proud.

1861.  Reade, Cloister & H., xlvii. Well then, mother, she is comely, and wrongs her picture but little.

  2.  To deprive or dispossess (a person) wrongfully of something; to cheat, defraud.

c. 1484.  Plumpton Corr. (Camden), 64. [He] is injuried & wronged of his tennor in Arkenden, contrarie to right and concience.

1594.  Kyd, Cornelia, IV. 208. A Citizen so wrong’d Of the honor him belong’d.

1660.  Myst. Good old Cause, 13. He hath wrong’d him of a great estate.

1730.  Swift, Lett. to Esquire, 3 Jan. You wronged me of half my due.

1773.  R. Fergusson, Ghaists, 98. The succeeding generations [to] wrang O’ braw bien maintenance.

1839.  Thackeray, Fatal Boots, Jan. I never wronged any man of a shilling.

1840.  Dickens, Old C. Shop, lx. Ask anybody … whether I have ever wronged them of a farthing.

1871.  W. Alexander, Johnny Gibb, xlv. [He wants] to vrang no man o’ ’s money.

  ellipt.  1607.  Rowlands, Diog. Lanth. (Hunter. Cl.), 34. Haue I wrong’d thee in all my life, Mouthfull of Hay or Grasse?

  3.  To do injustice to (a person) by statement, imputation, opinion, etc.; to impute evil to, asperse or calumniate undeservedly; to discredit or dishonor by word or thought.

1594.  Shaks., Rich. III., IV. iv. 421. Queene. Shall I forget my selfe, to be my selfe? Rich. I, if your selfes remembrance wrong your selfe.

1599.  Peele, David & Bethsabe, B ij b. Woman thou wrongst the King, & doubtst his honour.

1620.  Jrnls. Ho. Comm., I. 535. His first Speech should be, to clear himself from Suspicion of wronging this House.

1634.  W. Tirwhyt, trans. Balzac’s Lett. (vol. I.), 120. Nor will I believe he was made after the image of God, lest therein I should wrong so excellent a nature.

1667.  Pepys, Diary, 27 July. He says that the Duke of York is suspected…; but that he do know that he is wronged therein.

1713.  Addison, Cato, III. i. Thou wrong’st me, if thou think’st Ever was love … like mine.

1782.  Cowper, trans. Mme. Guion, Happy Solitude, 9. Thy creatures wrong thee, O thou sov’reign Good! Thou art not lov’d, because not understood.

1795–6.  Wordsw., Borderers, I. 167. I wot not what ill tongue has wronged him with you.

1823.  Scott, Quentin D., vi. He wronged his uncle, however, in supposing [etc.].

1836.  Lytton, Duchess de La Vallière, III. v. My foolish fancies wronged him!

1861.  Tennyson, In Mem., l. I wrong the grave with fears untrue.

  4.  To cause undeserved physical harm or injury to (a person, etc.); to affect harmfully or injuriously; to hurt or damage. Now Sc.

1595.  Spenser, Epithal., 49. For feare the stones her tender foot should wrong.

1617.  Moryson, Itin., I. 37. The people after dinner, warmed with drinke, are apt to wrong any stranger.

1634.  Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 211. One [fruit] out of curiositie I tasted of, which … malignantly bit and wronged my mouth and lips.

1683.  Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, xiii. ¶ 5. The edges of his Graver … may, in a slip, touch upon the Side and Face of the next Stroak, and wrong that more or less.

1712.  J. James, trans. Le Blond’s Gardening, 151. Without breaking or wronging the greater Roots.

a. 1722.  Lisle, Husb. (1757), 376. Those boughs also … draw all the sap to them and wrong the rest that are weaker.

1793.  R. Gray, Poems, 54. A gude man loves his beast, And will not wrang him.

1826.  R. Hetrick, Poems, 92. Is’t ’cause some farmer’s wranged his pechan At some drunk frolic.

  refl.  1620.  Venner, Via Recta, viii. 190. They … greatly erre and wrong themselues, that … surcharge their bodies with ouer-much meat.

1899.  J. B. Salmond, Man Sandy, xiii. 93. Blair leuch till I thocht he wudda wranged himsel’.

  † b.  To impair or injure the quality or substance of (something); to affect detrimentally or harmfully; to mar, spoil. Obs.

1592.  Kyd, Sp. Trag., II. iii. 46. If she … forgoe his loue, She both will wrong her owne estate and ours.

1630.  in Smith’s Wks. (Arb.), II. 898. All authoritie being dissolved, want of government did more wrong their proceedings, than [etc.].

1638.  W. M., Garcia’s Sonne Rogue, 149. I was constrained … with the force of my sneezing to wrong my breeches.

1639.  S. Du Verger, trans. Camus’ Admir. Events, Pref. Do not scoffe at the Histories, being good in themselves, though wronged by my want of language.

1661.  Pepys, Diary, 8 Jan. ‘The Widdow,’ an indifferent good play, but wronged by the women being to seek in their parts.

a. 1700.  Evelyn, Diary, 30 May 1662. Her teeth wronging her mouth by sticking a little too far out.

1784.  Cowper, Task, VI. 748. Sweet is the harp of prophecy; too sweet Not to be wrong’d by a mere mortal touch.

  5.  Naut. To outsail (another vessel); to outdo or surpass in sailing; also = BLANKET v. 2. ? Obs.

1685.  T. Phelps, Captiv., 2. We had try’d his sailing all ways, but found we could not wrong him any way.

1691.  T. H[ale], Acc. New Invent., p. vi. One Ship is said to wrong another, that exceeds it in swiftness of sailing.

1727.  ‘S. Brunt,’ Voy. to Cacklogallinia, 21. Our Sloop wrong’d ’em so much, that we soon came up with, and took them.

1748.  Smollett, R. Random, lxv. We were very much wronged by the ship that had us in chase.

1760.  C. Johnston, Chrysal, I. I. x. 73. The officers [of an English man-of-war] … observed they wronged her so much, they could go round her if they pleased.

1867.  Smyth, Sailors’ Word-bk., 739. To outsail a vessel by becalming her sails is said to wrong her.

  II.  intr. † 6. To act wrongly, harmfully or injuriously; to do wrong (to a person, etc.). Obs.

1390.  Gower, Conf., I. 262. For whan that holi cherche wrongeth, I not what other thing schal rihte. Ibid., II. 389. God and … the world … Largesse awaiteth as belongeth, To neither part that he ne wrongeth.

c. 1460.  Oseney Reg., 61. Our beloued sonnys Abbot and Couent … shewed þat Richard Clerke and summe oþer…, vppon tithis possessions and oþer thynges…, wronge to þe same.

1540.  Rec. Elgin (New Spald. Cl.), I. 49. The assise deliuerit that Angnes Baldon wrangit in the … breking of Katerine Falconeris heid.

1613.  W. Browne, Brit. Past., I. i. 119. I wrong to say so.

a. 1676.  Hale (J. s.v. Higgle), It argues an ignoble mind, where we have wronged, to higgle and dodge in the amends.

  7.  To heel over. (Cf. RIGHT v. 6 c.) nonce-use.

1842.  Dickens, Amer. Notes, ii. The ship rights. Before one can say ‘Thank Heaven!’ she wrongs again.

  Hence Wronging ppl. a.

1845.  J. C. Mangan, German Anthol., II. 60.