Other forms: shipwrecks
A shipwreck is a ship destroyed at sea, and its remains. Survive a shipwreck, dive on the shipwreck, the shipwreck lies below.
The remains are protected in law: a wreck with human remains is a war grave in many countries, and taking anything from a protected shipwreck is an offence. Cold deep water preserves wood and iron for centuries.
1nounshipwreckA ship destroyed at sea, and its remains.
“Divers explored the shipwreck lying on the sea bed off the coast.”
shipwreck is a wreck.
Old English scipwraec, from ship plus wrack, meaning something driven ashore.
Old English
sċipwræc — jetsam
Middle English
schipwrak
English, today
shipwreck
From Middle English schipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”), Dutch scheepswrak (“shipwreck”), German Schiffswrack (“shipwreck”), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA