shipwreck

English

Alternative forms

• shipwrack (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship +‎ wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɪpɹɛk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

shipwreck (countable and uncountable, plural shipwrecks)

1. A ship that has sunk or run aground so that it is no longer seaworthy; a ruined vessel or its remains.
   • 1670, John Dryden, William D'Avenant, The Tempest:

     heaven will drive shipwrecks ashore to make us all rich

   • 2014, Nick Honachefsky, The Jersey Surf Diaries:

     Blackfishing from the beach. I've done my research. Hundreds of shipwrecks line the Jersey coast, and many of them are close enough to reach with a long cast on a dead-low tide. These wrecks hold tautog, porgies, sea bass, flounder.

2. (countable, uncountable) An event where a ship sinks or runs aground.
   • 1688, John Dryden, The Life of St Francis Xavier:

     they made the coast of Cochin China, and the tempests, which rose at the same time, threatened them more than once with shipwreck

   • 2002, Eva Brann, Homeric Moments, page 48:

     But now, ten years later, after his recent shipwreck, he cannot compete as a runner, though he can outthrow the slighter Phaeacians with the heaviest discus.

3. (figurative) Destruction; disaster; failure; ruin; irretrievable loss.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 1:19:

     Holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

   • 1879, John Morley, Burke:

     It was upon an Indian bill that the late ministry had made shipwreck.

Synonyms

• shipbreach

Derived terms

• shipwrecky

Translations

ship that has sunk or run aground so that it is no longer seaworthy

• Afrikaans: skeepswrak
• Arabic: حُطَام سَفِينَة (ḥuṭām safīna)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: ruina de nau f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 沉船 (zh) (chénchuán)

• Czech: vrak (cs) m
• Danish: skibsvrag (da) n, vrag n
• Dutch: scheepswrak (nl) n, wrak (nl) n
• Estonian: laevavrakk
• Finnish: hylky (fi)
• French: épave (fr) f, ruine de nef f, ruine de vaisseau f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Schiffswrack (de) n
• Greek: ναυάγιο (el) n (navágio)

  Ancient: ναυάγιον n (nauágion)

• Hebrew: טְרֹפֶת (he) f (trofet), אֳנִיָּה טְרוּפָה (he) f (oniyah trufah)
• Hungarian: hajóroncs (hu)
• Ingrian: hylky
• Italian: relitto (it) m, rovina di nave f
• Latin: ruīna navis f
• Macedonian: кр́нтија f (kŕntija), оста́тоци од бро́долом m pl (ostátoci od bródolom)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skipsvrak n

  Nynorsk: skipsvrak n

• Old English: sċipwræc n
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: wrak (pl) m
• Portuguese: navio naufragado m, ruína de nave f
• Romanian: epavă (ro) f
• Russian: останки кораблекрушения m pl (ostanki korablekrušenija)
• Spanish: naufragio (es) m, derrelicto m, pecio (es) m, ruina naval / naviera f
• Swedish: skeppsvrak (sv) n
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: gemi enkazı (tr)

event where a ship sinks or runs aground

• Breton: peñse (br) m
• Bulgarian: корабокруше́ние n (korabokrušénie)
• Catalan: naufragi (ca) m
• Czech: ztroskotání n
• Danish: forlis n, skibbrud n, skibsforlis n
• Dutch: schipbreuk (nl) f
• Erzya: венчколамо (venčkolamo)
• Finnish: haaksirikko (fi)
• French: naufrage (fr) m
• Galician: naufraxe f, naufraxio m
• German: Schiffbruch (de) m
• Greek: ναυάγιο (el) n (navágio)

  Ancient: ναυαγία f (nauagía)

• Hungarian: hajótörés (hu)
• Ingrian: haaveri
• Italian: naufragio (it) m
• Latin: naufragium n
• Macedonian: бро́долом m (bródolom)
• Maori: waka papaea, paeārautanga
• Norman: naûfrage m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skipsvrak n

  Nynorsk: skipsvrak n

• Old English: sċipġebroc n
• Plautdietsch: Scheppbruch m
• Portuguese: naufrágio (pt) m
• Romanian: naufragiu (ro) n
• Russian: кораблекруше́ние (ru) n (korablekrušénije)
• Serbo-Croatian: brȍdolom (sh) m
• Spanish: naufragio (es) m
• Swedish: skeppsbrott (sv) n, förlisning c
• Ukrainian: корабельна аварія f (korabelʹna avarija), аварія корабля f (avarija korablja)

destruction; ruin; irretrievable loss

• Hungarian: pusztulás (hu), megsemmisülés (hu), romlás (hu), veszte (hu), meghiúsulás (hu)
• Macedonian: бро́долом m (bródolom)
• Spanish: naufragio (es) m, desastre (es) m, fracaso (es) m, pérdida (es) f, ruina (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} ŝipruino
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} naufragium
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} nawfraggu
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} brodolom (sh) m

Verb

shipwreck (third-person singular simple present shipwrecks, present participle shipwrecking, simple past and past participle shipwrecked)

1. To wreck a boat through a collision or other mishap.

Translations

wreck a vessel

• Catalan: naufragar (ca)
• Czech: ztroskotat (cs)
• Dutch: schipbreken, schipbreuk lijden
• Finnish: haaksirikkoutua
• French: naufrager (fr)
• Italian: naufragare (it)
• Norman: naûfragi
• Old English: sċipġebroc þrōwian
• Portuguese: naufragar (pt)
• Spanish: naufragar (es)
• Swedish: förlisa (sv)

See also

• castaway