wrest

 
Pronunciation: /rɛst/

verb

[with object]
  • 1forcibly pull (something) from a person’s grasp: Leila tried to wrest her arm from his hold
  • take (something, especially power or control) after considerable effort or difficulty: they wanted people to wrest control of their lives from impersonal bureaucracies
  • 2 archaic distort the meaning or interpretation of (something) to suit one’s own interests or views: you appear convinced of my guilt, and wrest every reply I have made

noun

archaic
  • a key for tuning a harp or piano.

Origin:

Old English wrǣstan 'twist, tighten', of Germanic origin; related to Danish vriste, also to wrist