Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Work \Work\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Worked}, or {Wrought}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Working}.] [AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p.
   geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian,
   D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka, yrkja, orka, Goth.
   wa['u]rkjan. [root]145. See {Work}, n.]
   1. To exert one's self for a purpose; to put forth effort for
      the attainment of an object; to labor; to be engaged in
      the performance of a task, a duty, or the like.

            O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work, To
            match thy goodness?                   --Shak.

            Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw
            be given you.                         --Ex. v. 18.

            Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake, Our life
            doth pass.                            --Sir J.
                                                  Davies.

   2. Hence, in a general sense, to operate; to act; to perform;
      as, a machine works well.

            We bend to that the working of the heart. --Shak.

   3. Hence, figuratively, to be effective; to have effect or
      influence; to conduce.

            We know that all things work together for good to
            them that love God.                   --Rom. viii.
                                                  28.

            This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he
            desired to be taught.                 --Locke.

            She marveled how she could ever have been wrought
            upon to marry him.                    --Hawthorne.

   4. To carry on business; to be engaged or employed
      customarily; to perform the part of a laborer; to labor;
      to toil.

            They that work in fine flax . . . shall be
            confounded.                           --Isa. xix. 9.

   5. To be in a state of severe exertion, or as if in such a
      state; to be tossed or agitated; to move heavily; to
      strain; to labor; as, a ship works in a heavy sea.

            Confused with working sands and rolling waves.
                                                  --Addison.

   6. To make one's way slowly and with difficulty; to move or
      penetrate laboriously; to proceed with effort; -- with a
      following preposition, as down, out, into, up, through,
      and the like; as, scheme works out by degrees; to work
      into the earth.

            Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportioned
            to each kind.                         --Milton.

   7. To ferment, as a liquid.

            The working of beer when the barm is put in.
                                                  --Bacon.

   8. To act or operate on the stomach and bowels, as a
      cathartic.

            Purges . . . work best, that is, cause the blood so
            to do, . . . in warm weather or in a warm room.
                                                  --Grew.

Wrought \Wrought\,
   imp. & p. p. of {Work}.

         Alas that I was wrought [created]!       --Chaucer.

Wrought \Wrought\, a.
   Worked; elaborated; not rough or crude.

   {Wrought iron}. See under {Iron}.

Source : WordNet®

work
     n 1: activity directed toward making or doing something; "she
          checked several points needing further work"
     2: a product produced or accomplished through the effort or
        activity or agency of a person or thing; "it is not
        regarded as one of his more memorable works"; "the
        symphony was hailed as an ingenious work"; "he was
        indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey"; "the work
        of an active imagination"; "erosion is the work of wind or
        water over time" [syn: {piece of work}]
     3: the occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for
        employment"; "a lot of people are out of work" [syn: {employment}]
     4: applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject
        (especially by reading); "mastering a second language
        requires a lot of work"; "no schools offer graduate study
        in interior design" [syn: {study}]
     5: the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial
        part of it); "he studied the entire Wagnerian oeuvre";
        "Picasso's work can be divided into periods" [syn: {oeuvre},
         {body of work}]
     6: a place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today"
        [syn: {workplace}]
     7: (physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy
        from one physical system to another expressed as the
        product of a force and the distance through which it moves
        a body in the direction of that force; "work equals force
        times distance"
     [also: {wrought}]

work
     v 1: exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose
          or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my
          grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions
          for the poor" [ant: {idle}]
     2: be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife
        never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?";
        "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of
        money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through
        college" [syn: {do work}]
     3: have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or
        expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as
        people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?";
        "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act
        quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a
        lot of water" [syn: {act}]
     4: perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't
        go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run
        well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore" [syn: {function},
         {operate}, {go}, {run}] [ant: {malfunction}]
     5: shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools";
        "process iron"; "work the metal" [syn: {work on}, {process}]
     6: give a work-out to; "Some parents exercise their infants";
        "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"
        [syn: {exercise}, {work out}]
     7: proceed along a path; "work one's way through the crowd";
        "make one's way into the forest" [syn: {make}]
     8: operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works
        the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This
        artist works mostly in acrylics"
     9: proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an
        activity; "work your way through every problem or task";
        "She was working on her second martini when the guests
        arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"
     10: move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with
         tension"
     11: cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work
         a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a
         joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken
         area" [syn: {bring}, {play}, {wreak}, {make for}]
     12: cause to work; "he is working his servants hard" [syn: {put
         to work}]
     13: prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land"
         [syn: {cultivate}, {crop}]
     14: behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not
         work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
     15: have and exert influence or effect; "The artist's work
         influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends
         to support the political candidate" [syn: {influence}, {act
         upon}]
     16: operate in or through; "Work the phones"
     17: cause to operate or function; "This pilot works the
         controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
     18: provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of
         young girls into a frenzy"
     19: gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; "the
         political candidate worked the crowds"
     20: make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded
         the riceballs carefully"; "Form cylinders from the
         dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword"
         [syn: {shape}, {form}, {mold}, {mould}, {forge}]
     21: move into or onto; "work the raisins into the dough"; "the
         student worked a few jokes into his presentation"; "work
         the body onto the flatbed truck"
     22: make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is
         soft" [syn: {knead}]
     23: use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new
         taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he
         works his parents for sympathy" [syn: {exploit}]
     24: find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand
         the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out
         your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation
         isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did
         you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math
         problem" [syn: {solve}, {work out}, {figure out}, {puzzle
         out}, {lick}]
     25: cause to undergo fermentation; "We ferment the grapes for a
         very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The
         vintner worked the wine in big oak vats" [syn: {ferment}]
     26: go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked";
         "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out" [syn: {sour},
          {turn}, {ferment}]
     27: arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The
         stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt
         many times"
     [also: {wrought}]

wrought
     adj : shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a
           pliable mass (as by work or effort); "a shaped
           handgrip"; "the molded steel plates"; "the wrought
           silver bracelet" [syn: {shaped}, {molded}]

wrought
     See {work}