The term wretch has a long history in the English language, with various spellings such as wrecca, wrecche, wrehche, wrechche, wrecch, wretche, wryche, wrache, wriche, and more. While today it is commonly used to refer to a “despicable person,” in Old English it denoted more of an “outcast.” The word can be traced back to Proto-Germanic wrakjon, which had meanings like “fugitive,” “warrior,” or “exile,” ultimately stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root wreg, meaning “to follow.” Interestingly, in German, wrakjon evolved into the word recke, signifying “hero.” English retained the negative connotations while German embraced the positive ones. The usage of wretch in literature has declined since the 18th century.
