The word 'wrong' originates from the Old English 'wrang', a term of Germanic descent signifying something twisted, crooked, or unjust. It is cognate with Old Norse 'rangr', which carried a similar sense of being awry or not straight. This etymological journey from a physical concept of crookedness to an abstract moral concept of injustice is a classic example of semantic shift. The underlying logic connects the literal idea of deviation from a straight line to the figurative idea of deviation from what is correct, proper, or fair.

This is a simplex word of Old English origin. The modern form 'wrong' evolved directly from the Old English 'wrang', meaning 'wrong, injustice, injury'. The root is of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse 'rangr' meaning 'awry, unjust'.