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wrung

Verb
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Twisted hard; here, emotionally strained or tormented; this verb suggests a state of being physically or mentally contorted, used in poetry to depict intense psychological pressure, anguish, or the process of being squeezed by circumstance.

Detailed Definition
Wrung is the past participle of wring, but in poetry it often suggests intense emotional pain rather than physical twisting alone. In this line, it describes a heart made sore by suffering and betrayal.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Oh my wrung heart, be thou content” — Shakespeare, King Lear; “Wrung” is the past participle of “wring,” suggesting something twisted or squeezed by pain; His wrung hands confessed what speech concealed; The image turns emotional anguish into physical pressure
Additional Notes
The word in “wrung heart” is a figurative, poetic use that many readers may not immediately recognize.; Found in the poem, Revenge by Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Also Known As
twisted wrung out contorted strained
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