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Origin and history of indite

indite(v.)

formerly also endite, late 14c., "put down in writing," from Old French enditer, enditier "dictate, write; draw up, draft; (legally) indict," from Vulgar Latin *indictare, from Latin in- "in, into, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + dictare "to declare," frequentative of dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly"). The same word as indict but retaining a French form. Related: Indited; inditing.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to indite

indict(v.)

formerly also endict, c. 1300, enditen, inditen, "bring formal charges against (someone); accuse of a crime," from Anglo-French enditer "accuse, indict, find chargeable with a criminal offense" (late 13c.), Old French enditier, enditer "to dictate, write, compose; (legally) indict," from Vulgar Latin *indictare "to declare, accuse, proclaim in writing," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + Latin dictare "to declare, dictate," frequentative of dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly").

Retained its French pronunciation after the spelling was re-Latinized c. 1600. Later 14c. non-legal senses "write, compose (a poem, etc.); dictate" have gone with the older form, endite, indite (q.v.). The sense is perhaps partly confused with Latin indicare "to point out." In classical Latin, indictus meant "not said, unsaid" (from in- "not"). Related: Indictable; indicted; indicting.

inditement(n.)

1560s, "action of writing prose or verse," from indite + -ment. Perhaps modeled on French enditement (12c.).

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More to explore

write
Old English writan "to score, outline, draw the figure of," later "to set down in writing" (class I strong verb; past tense wrat, past participle writen), from Proto-Germanic *writan "tear, scratch" (source also of Old Frisian writa "to write," Old Saxon writan "to tear, scratch,
compose
c. 1400, compousen, "to write" (a book), from Old French composer "put together, compound; adjust, arrange; write" a work (12c.), from com- "with, together" (see com-) + poser "to place," from Late Latin pausare "to cease, lay down" (see pause (n.)). Meaning influenced in Old Fre
pen
late 13c., penne, "writing implement made from the hard, hollow stem at the base of a feather," from Old French pene "quill pen; feather" (12c.) and directly from Latin penna "a feather, plume," in plural "a wing," in Late Latin, "a pen for writing," from Old Latin petna, pesna,
stannary
The courts and the jail for it in Devon were at Lydford, hence: Lydford law: is to hang men first, and indite them afterwards...
script
late 14c., "something written, a written document," earlier scrite (c. 1300), from Anglo-French scrit, Old French escrit "piece of writing, written paper; credit note, IOU; deed, bond" (Modern French écrit) and directly from Latin scriptum "a writing, book; law; line, mark," noun
annotate
"comment upon, remark upon in notes," 1733, from Latin annotatus, past participle of annotare, adnotare "observe, remark, note down," from ad "to" (see ad-) + notare "to mark, note, make a note," from nota "mark, sign, means of recognition" (see note (n.)). Related: Annotated; an
paragraph
c. 1500, paragraf, "a distinct part of writing or discourse relating to a particular point," also "paragraph mark, the symbol used to mark commencement of a new section of writing" ( ¶ ), from Old French paragrafe (13c.), from Medieval Latin paragraphus "sign indicating the start
versify
late 14c., "compose verse, write poetry, make verses," from Old French versifier "turn into verse" (13c.), from Latin versificare "compose verse; put into verse," from versus "verse" (see verse) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Transitive
author
mid-14c., auctor, autour, autor "father, creator, one who brings about, one who makes or creates" someone or something, from Old French auctor, acteor "author, originator, creator, instigator" (12c., Modern French auteur) and directly from Latin auctor "promoter, producer, father
verse
late Old English (replacing Old English fers, an early West Germanic borrowing directly from Latin), "line or section of a psalm or canticle," later "line of poetry" (late 14c.), from Anglo-French and Old French vers "line of verse; rhyme, song," from Latin versus "a line, row, l

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