Forms: 3–4 wroȝt, 5–6 wroght, 5– wrought (6 arch. wroughten), 5 wrout, 7 wrote. [ME. wroȝt, var. worht, pa. pple. of wirchen, wurchen: see WORK v.] Worked into shape (or condition).
Freq. as the second element of combs., as fine-, finely-, gold-, hammer-, hand-, hard-, high-, highly-, machine-, thick-, thin-, well-wrought: see these words, and cf. IN- FOR-, OVER-, UNWROUGHT ppl. adjs.
I. † 1. Created; shaped, molded. Obs.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2606. Teremuth … bad it ben to hire broȝt, And saȝ ðis child wol faire wroȝt.
c. 1400. [see WELL-WROUGHT ppl. a. 1].
1434. Misyn, Mending Life, 126. God truly is infinit of gretnes,… of all wroght kyndes vnconsauyd.
b. That is made or constructed by means of labor or art; fashioned, formed.
Cf. OE. hand-worht, = mod.E. ‘hand-wrought.’
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1381. With a wonder wroȝt walle wruxeled ful hiȝe.
1338, c. 1400, etc. [see WELL-WROUGHT ppl. a. 1].
1624. in Archaeol. (1806), XV. 161. 3 pare of wrote boote hose.
1660. R. Read, Wecker’s Secr. Art, 220. Lay with every bed of your wrought and drawn Glass one of the said pieces of Glass.
1676. Lady Fanshawe, Mem. (1830), 189. A rich curious-wrought gold chain.
1696. Derham, Clock-maker, 4. The wrought piece which covers the Balance … is the Cock.
1700–1. Act 12–13 William, c. 4 § 1. For want of Assayers … to assay and touch their wrought Plate.
1739. Act 12 Geo. II., c. 26 § 6. Any wrought Seal or Seals with Cornelian or other Stones set therein.
1818. Keats, Endym., I. 165. After them appear’d … a fair wrought car.
1850. Rossetti, Blessed Damozel, ii. Her robe … No wrought flowers did adorn.
1875. Fortnum, Maiolica, 107. Most elegantly wrought earthen vases.
1890. Young, Ann. Barber-Surg. Lond., 506. Handsomely chased and wrought silver garlands.
c. Shaped, fashioned or finished from the rough or crude material; cut.
1560. Bible (Bishops’), Numb. xxxi. 51. Moses & Eleazar … toke the golde of them, and all wroght iewels.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Aug., 134. To him be the wroughten mazer alone.
1611. Bible, 1 Chron. xxii. 2. Hee set masons to hew wrought stones.
1652. Benlowes, Theoph., III. xxvi. Her lips rock-rubies, and her veins wrought sapphires show.
1818. Keats, Endym., II. 623. The water … mimick’d the wrought oaken beams.
1841. W. Spalding, Italy & It. Isl., III. 355. The country exports … the marble of Carrara, both wrought and unwrought.
1854. S. G. Morton, Types Mankind, 357. Large quantities of wrought bones, human and animal.
† 2. Artificial; specially prepared. Obs.
c. 1400. trans. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh., 83. He sholde … caste vp-on his heued wroght waters attempred. Ibid., 85. Thre Rotes of wroght hony. [trans. L. artificialis.]
3. a. Of textile materials, esp. silk: Manufactured; spun. (Cf. RAW a. 2 a.)
1463–4. Rolls of Parlt., V. 506/1. Wrought Silke, throwen Rybans and Laces, falsely … wrought.
1503–4. Act 19 Hen. VII., c. 21. All other maner of Sylkes, aswell wrought as rawe or unwrought.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 336. The riches of the Kingdome are especially silkes, wrought and unwrought.
1694. E. Chamberlayne, Pres. St. Eng. (ed. 18), I. 37. Merionethshire … abounds with Sheep, Fish, Fowl, and wrought Cottons.
1728. Chambers, Cycl. (1738), s.v. Silk, The silks brought from Italy are partly wrought, and partly raw, and unwrought.
1841. Haydn, Dict. Dates, 472. Wrought silk was brought from Persia to Greece 325 B.C.
b. Decorated or ornamented, as with needlework; elaborated, embellished, embroidered.
1455. Lincoln Diocese Doc., 67. [A] Wrought bordcloth cum j. pari towalles de eadem.
1475. Stonor Papers (Camden), I. 155. Item … j. large wrought Bordeclothe.
1552–3. in Feuillerat, Revels Edw. VI. (1914), 104. Purple wrought vellet.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, I. xiii. A light taffeta garment, so cut, as the wrought smocke came through it in many places.
1598. B. Jonson, Ev. Man in Hum., I. iii. As a Millaners wife [conceals] her wrought stomacher with a smokie lawne. Ibid. (1599), Ev. Man out of Hum., IV. iv. A piece of my wrought shirt.
1614. Boyle, in Lismore Papers (1886), I. 50. A veary fair wrought purse.
c. 1680. Charnock, Attrib. God (1682), 609. A curious wrought Tapestry.
1686. Lond. Gaz., No. 2152/4. A green wrought Sattin Ribon.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 91, ¶ 5. My Mistress presented me with a Wrought Nightcap.
1711. Hermit, 25 Aug., 2/1. The old Tapestry Hangings and Wrought Bed [must be] pulled down.
1805. Scott, Last Minstrel, II. xix. A wrought Spanish baldric.
c. 1816. Mrs. Sherwood, Stories Ch. Catech., vii. 45. [She] had on a wrought muslin frock.
1847. C. Brontë, Jane Eyre, xi. Beds … with wrought old English hangings crusted with thick work.
1851. [see WRISTLET 2].
transf. 1662. J. Davies, trans. Olearius’ Voy. Ambass., 310. A third sort of Melons … are wrought or embroider’d, having amidst the embroidery red, yellow, and green spots.
c. Of leather, etc.: Prepared by dressing; dressed.
1541. Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844), I. 454. Quhat craftisman that braks the samyn [act], the rest of his wrought ledder to be escheitt.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 130/1. Linum factum,… wrought or hitchild flax.
d. Of articles: Made, manufactured or prepared for use or commerce.
c. 1580. in Eng. Hist. Rev., July (1914), 518. Pilchars and Red herringe, wrought Lime.
1584–5. Act 27 Eliz., c. 16 § 1. Any Artificer using to work Leather into wrought Wares.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 17 Sept. 1657. Some habits of curiously-colour’d and wrought feathers.
1757. Refl. Importation Bar Iron, 19. The Americans … would … take more wrought Goods from the British Manufacturers.
1803. Malthus, Popul., III. x. 459. The whole value of the wrought commodity.
1807. T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 444. Wrought rosin, or shoemaker’s rosin.
1857. Catal. Gt. Exhib., 865. The traders … purchase the wrought articles from the heads of the lapidary workmen.
4. a. Of metals: Beaten out or shaped with the hammer or other tools.
1535. Coverdale, Ps. xliv. 13. Hir clothinge is of wrought golde.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 403/1. Argentum factum,… wrought siluer, as plate, coyne, &c.
1687. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. s.v. Ouvré, Wrought Silver,… wrought Brass.
1696–7. Act 8–9 William III., c. 34 § 1. Evrey Hundred weight of Tin wrought commonly called Pewter.
1717. Berkeley, Jrnl. Tour Italy, Wks. 1871, IV. 555. Gold and silver, wrought and unwrought, found along the side of the little sea.
1819. Shelley, Fragm., Tale Untold, 3. Empty cups of wrought and daedal gold.
1885. Mag. Art, Sept., 459/1. A circular plate of thin wrought bronze.
Comb. 1893. T. P. Terry, in Outing, XXII. 111/1. A wrought-gold bracelet.
b. Wrought iron, slag-bearing malleable iron (see IRON sb.1 1 and MALLEABLE a. 1).
1703. Act 2–3 Anne, c. 18 § 12. Wares made of Wrought Iron.
1747. Phil. Trans., XLIV. II. 371. Cannon … cast so soft as to bear Turning like wrought Iron.
1837. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., I. 1/1. The rails … are of wrought-iron,… fixed in cast-iron chairs.
1876. Voyle & Stevenson, Milit. Dict., 473/2. Wrought iron is valuable as a gun material.
1881. [see IRON sb.1 2 a].
Comb. 1829. W. Ellis, Polyn. Res., II. 298. A wrought-iron nail … four inches long.
1895. Knight, Dict. Mech., 2823/2. Wrought-iron Furnace, [a] puddling-furnace.
1885. ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ At Bay, xi. Great old wrought-iron gates.
c. Of metal-work: Made by hammering or hand-work (in contrast to cast).
1807. W. Irving, Salmag., xii. His learned distinctions between wrought scissors and those of cast-steel.
1810. in Ure, Dict. Arts (1839), 875. Cut nails are full as good as wrought nails.
1849. Ruskin, Sev. Lamps, ii. § 20. Ornaments … of cast-iron … are always distinguishable, at a glance, from wrought and hammered work.
1883. W. D. Curzon, Manuf. Industries Worcs., 2. The wrought work of ploughs and … blacksmiths’ work of all kinds.
† 5. transf. Worked up; rough; agitated. Obs.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., II. iii. 33. The wind still continuyng…, and the seas sore wrought.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 368. The billowes of a wrought sea.
1604, 1702. [see HIGH-WROUGHT a. 1].
6. a. Of coal: Hewn from the bed or seam; won.
1708. J. C., Compl. Collier (1845), 28. The Horse Engin … serves … to draw up the Wrought Coals.
1883. Gresley, Gloss. Coal-mining, 295. Wrought coal, etc., worked or gotten.
b. Dug; moved by digging, etc.
1903. Blackw. Mag., Feb., 222/1. As the shelving banks close in there is a smell of the wrought earth.
7. Of animals: Employed in labor; worked.
1725. Fam. Dict., s.v. Ox, Wrought Oxen in the Seasons they are put to labour, ought to be fed with Care.
II. With adverbs. 8. Wrought-off, worked off; printed.
1683. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, xxii. ¶ 7. He uses one of the Wrought-off Forms.
1771. Luckombe, Hist. Print., 409. Then we impose from wrought-off Forms.
1838. Timperley, Printers’ Man., 114. Wrought-off heaps [of paper].
9. Wrought-up, stirred up; excited or stimulated; enlivened.
1810. Crabbe, Borough, xv. 67. He knew … How to make all the passions his allies, And … To watch the wrought-up heart, and conquer by surprise.
1823. Mrs. Hemans, Siege of Valencia, i. The deep … feelings wakening at their voice, Claim all the wrought-up spirit to themselves.
1828. Lytton, Pelham, III. xi. Excited as I had been by my painful and wrought-up interest in his recital.
