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das Wrack
wreck
The badly damaged remains of an accident-damaged vehicle, especially a ship, airplane, or car.
example
Taucher haben das Wrack eines gesunkenen Piratenschiffs entdeckt.
Divers discovered the wreck of a sunken pirate ship.
das Wrack
wreck
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Context clue
You can easily recognize the meaning of 'Wrack' (wreck) from the context. If people are talking about an accident-damaged vehicle (ship, car), the literal meaning is intended. If it refers to a person, it is a colloquial metaphor for exhaustion.
EXAMPLE
Das Wrack des alten Frachters liegt auf dem Meeresgrund.
The wreck of the old freighter lies on the seabed.
Typical collocations
'Wrack' (wreck) is often used as the second part of compound words to specify the type of vehicle. Common examples are 'Schiffswrack' (shipwreck), 'Autowrack' (car wreck), or 'Flugzeugwrack' (plane wreck).
EXAMPLE
Das Museum stellt Teile eines alten Schiffswracks aus.
The museum displays parts of an old shipwreck.
Colloquial use
Using 'Wrack' (wreck) for a person is strongly colloquial and figurative. It describes a state of extreme physical or emotional exhaustion.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Krankheit fühlte sie sich wie ein Wrack.
After the long illness, she felt like a wreck.
Compare with
Wrack vs Schrott
scrap / junk
'der Schrott' and 'das Wrack' can both refer to something badly damaged or unusable. 'Schrott' is more general: it can mean old metal, or colloquially something that is broken and worthless. 'Wrack' usually means the remains of a badly damaged vehicle, for example a car, ship, or airplane. Learners may confuse the words because a broken car can both seem like junk and be a wreck. 'Wrack' is precise when you mean the damaged remains of a vehicle. 'Schrott' fits better when talking about unusable metal or poor quality.
Wrack
Nach dem Unfall stand das Wrack noch mehrere Stunden am Straßenrand.
After the accident, the wreck remained by the side of the road for several hours.
Schrott
Nach dem Umzug brachte Tom die alten Metallteile zum Schrott.
After the move, Tom took the old metal parts to the scrap yard.
In real life
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