wrixle

English

Alternative forms

• wirsle, wissle, wistle, wissel

Etymology

From Middle English wrixlen, from Old English wrixlan, wixlan (“to change, exchange, reciprocate”), from Proto-Germanic *wihslijaną, *wihslōną (“to change”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyk-, *weyḱ- (“to change”). Cognate with Scots wissel (“to exchange, barter”), Dutch wisselen (“to exchange, barter, swap”), German wechseln (“to change, switch”), Icelandic víxl (“cross, interchange”), Latin vicis (“change, alteration, diversity, reciprocity”).

Verb

wrixle (third-person singular simple present wrixles, present participle wrixling, simple past and past participle wrixled)

1. (obsolete) To exchange.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To alter, as one's mind or mental faculties; effect a change in.
3. (obsolete) To exchange opinions; speak one's mind; share thoughts; communicate.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To envelop, wrap; confuse; confound.

Usage notes

Fell out of common usage in the 16th century. Was somewhat common in the 14th and 15th centuries. Survives in dialects in the form of wissle.

References

• The Middle English Dictionary