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From Middle English writ, iwrit, ȝewrit, from Old English writ ‎(letter, book, treatise; scripture, writing; writ, charter, document, deed) and ġewrit ‎(writing, something written, written language; written character, bookstave; inscription; orthography; written statement, passage from a book; official or formal document, document; law, jurisprudence; regulation; list, catalog; letter; text of an agreement; writ, charter, deed; literary writing, book, treatise; books dealing with a subject under notice; a book of the Bible; scripture, canonical book, the Scriptures; stylus), from Proto-Germanic *writą ‎(fissure, writing), from Proto-Indo-European *wrey-, *wrī- ‎(to scratch, carve, ingrave). Cognate with Scots writ ‎(writ, writing, handwriting), Icelandic rit ‎(writing, writ, literary work, publication).



writ ‎(plural writs)

  2. authority, power to enforce compliance
  3. (obsolete) that which is written; writing
    • Spenser
    • Knolles
      Babylon, so much spoken of in Holy Writ

Derived termsEdit




  • Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia




  1. (archaic, nonstandard) past tense of write
  2. (archaic, nonstandard) past participle of write
    • Omar Khayyam (in translation)

Usage notesEdit


Related termsEdit




  1. Romanization of 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐍄

Old EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit




writ n

  1. writ