means A sport or physical contest in which two opponents grapple at close quarters, each trying to pin, throw, or force the other into submission through holds and leverage rather than strikes.

from From Old English 'wrestlian,' a frequentative of 'wræstan' meaning to twist or wrench — the same twisting impulse behind 'wrest' (as in to wrest something from someone's grip) and 'wrist,' the joint that does the twisting. The whole cluster traces back to a Proto-Germanic root for turning and writhing, so the word literally describes what the bodies are doing: twisting against each other, over and over.