1560, from L. urgere "to press hard, push, drive, compel," from PIE base *werg- "to work" (cf. Avestan vareza "work, activity;" Gk. ergon "work," orgia "religious performances," organon "tool;" Armenian gorc "work;" Lith. verziu "tie, fasten, squeeze," vargas "need, distress;" O.C.S. vragu "enemy;" Goth. waurkjan, O.E. wyrcan "work;" Goth. wrikan "persecute," O.E. wrecan "drive, hunt, pursue;" O.N. yrka "work, take effect"). The noun is first attested 1618, from the verb; in frequent use after c.1910.
Urge\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Urged; p. pr. & vb. n. Urging.] [L. urgere; akin to E. wreak. See Wreak, v. t.]1. To press; to push; to drive; to impel; to force onward. Through the thick deserts headlong urged his flight. --Pope. 2. To press the mind or will of; to ply with motives, arguments, persuasion, or importunity. My brother never Did urge me in his act; I did inquire it. --Shak. 3. To provoke; to exasperate. [R.] Urge not my father's anger. --Shak. 4. To press hard upon; to follow closely Heir urges heir, like wave impelling wave. --Pope. 5. To present in an urgent manner; to press upon attention; to insist upon; as, to urge an argument; to urge the necessity of a case. 6. To treat with forcible means; to take severe or violent measures with; as, to urge an ore with intense heat. Syn: To animate; incite; impel; instigate; stimulate; encourage.
Ur"gent\, a. [L. urgens, p. pr. of urgere: cf. F. urgent. See Urge.] Urging; pressing; besetting; plying, with importunity; calling for immediate attention; instantly important. "The urgent hour." --Shak. Some urgent cause to ordain the contrary. --Hooker. The Egyptians were urgent upon the people that they might send them out of the land in haste. --Ex. xii. 33.
Wreak\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wreaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Wreaking.] [OE. wrek?? to revenge, punish, drive out, AS. wrecan; akin to OFries. wreka, OS. wrekan to punish, D. wreken to avenge, G. r["a]chen, OHG. rehhan, Icel. reka to drive, to take vengeance, Goth. wrikan to persecute, Lith. vargas distress, vargti to suffer distress, L. urgere to drive, urge, Gr. ? to shut, Skr. ? to turn away. Cf. Urge, Wreck, Wretch.]1. To revenge; to avenge. [Archaic] He should wreake him on his foes. --Chaucer. Another's wrongs to wreak upon thyself. --Spenser. Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain. --Fairfax. 2. To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy. On me let Death wreak all his rage. --Milton. Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years. --Macaulay. But gather all thy powers, And wreak them on the verse that thou dost weave. --Bryant.
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