wrixle

• wirsle, wissle, wistle, wissel

From Middle English wrixlen, from Old English wrixlan, wixlan (“to change, exchange, reciprocate”), from Proto-Germanic *wihslijaną, *wihslōną (“to change”), from Proto-Indo-European *weik(')- (“to change”). Cognate with Scots wissel (“to exchange, barter”), Dutch wisselen (“to exchange, barter, swap”), German wechseln (“to change, switch”), Icelandic víxl (“cross, interchange”), Latin vicis (“change, alteration, diversity, reciprocity”).

wrixle (third-person singular simple present wrixles, present participle wrixling, simple past and past participle wrixled)

1. (obsolete) To exchange.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To alter, as one's mind or mental faculties; effect a change in.
3. (obsolete) To exchange opinions; speak one's mind; share thoughts; communicate.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To envelop, wrap; confuse; confound.

Fell out of common usage in the 16th century. Was somewhat common in the 14th and 15th centuries. Survives in dialects in the form of wissle.

• The Middle English Dictionary