“An icy calmness had always characterized his words and deeds. In the heat and vituperation of council, in the wild wrack of battle, Kelkor was always cool, never confused.”
-from an untitled draft of a Kull story
vi•tu•per•a•tion
vəˌt(y)o͞opəˈrāSHən,vīˌt(y)o͞opəˈrāSHən/
noun
noun: vituperation; plural noun: vituperations
1. bitter and abusive language.
synonyms: invective, condemnation, opprobrium, scolding, criticism, disapprobation, fault-finding; More
blame, abuse, insults, vilification, denunciation, obloquy, denigration, disparagement, slander, libel, defamation, slurs, aspersions;
vitriol, venom;
informalflak;
formalcastigation
antonyms: praise
wrack1
rak/
verb
verb: wrack; 3rd person present: wracks; gerund or present participle: wracking; past tense: wracked; past participle: wracked
1. variant spelling of rack1 (sense 1 of the verb).
wrack2
rak/
noun
noun: wrack
1. any of a number of coarse brown seaweeds that grow on the shoreline, frequently each kind forming a distinct band in relation to high- and low-water marks. Many have air bladders for buoyancy.
Origin
early 16th century: apparently from wrack4.
wrack3
rak/
noun
noun: wrack; plural noun: wracks
1. variant spelling of rack5.
Origin
late Middle English: variant of rack5.
wrack4
rak/
noun
archaicdialect
noun: wrack; plural noun: wracks
1. a wrecked ship; a shipwreck.
o wreckage.
Origin
late Middle English: from Middle Dutch wrak ; related to wreak and wreck.
rack1
rak/
verb
verb: wrack
1. 1.
cause extreme physical or mental pain to; subject to extreme stress.
"he was racked with guilt"
synonyms: torment, afflict, torture, agonize, harrow; More
plague, bedevil, persecute, wrack, trouble, worry
o historical
torture (someone) on the rack.
2. 2.
place in or on a rack.
3. 3.
archaic
raise (rent) above a fair or normal amount.
Origin
Middle English: from Middle Dutch rec, Middle Low German rek ‘horizontal bar or shelf,’ probably from recken ‘to stretch, reach’ (possibly the source of sense 1 of the verb).
rack5
rak/
noun
noun: wrack
1. 1.
a mass of high, thick, fast-moving clouds.
"there was a thin moon, a rack of cloud"
verb
archaic
verb: wrack
1. 1.
(of a cloud) be driven before the wind.
Origin
Middle English (denoting a rush or collision): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Norwegian and Swedish dialect rak ‘wreckage,’ from reka ‘to drive.’
A Well of Heroes
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