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Origin and history of write

write(v.)

Old English writan "to score, outline, draw the figure of," later "to set down in writing, be acquainted with the craft of letters, set forth as an author" (class I strong verb; past tense wrat, past participle writen).

This is from Proto-Germanic *writan "tear, scratch," which also is the source of Old Frisian writa "to write," Old Saxon writan "to tear, scratch, write," Old Norse rita "write, scratch, outline," Old High German rizan "to write, scratch, tear," German reißen "to tear, pull, tug, sketch, draw, design"). Outside connections are doubtful.

According to Buck, words for "write" in most Indo-European languages originally mean "carve, scratch, cut" (such as Latin scribere, Greek graphein, glyphein, Sanskrit rikh-); a few originally meant "paint" (Gothic meljan, Old Church Slavonic pisati, and most of the modern Slavic cognates).

In English, the meaning "exchange letters" is by mid-14c.; that of "communicate in writing" is by c. 1400.

To be writ large (1640s) is literally to be formed in large, prominent letters, but the use is chiefly figurative. To write over is by 1580s as "write anew or again," by 1828 as "cover (a surface) with writing."

For men use to write an evill turne in marble stone, but a good turne in the dust. [More, 1513]

On the dismissive side, writerling "petty, sorry, or inferior writer" is by 1802; writation "poor or insipid writing" by 1778; writative "disposed or addicted to writing" by 1736. 

Entries linking to write

hand-written(adj.)

also handwritten, 1745, from hand (n.) + past participle of write (v.). As a verb, hand-write is recorded from 1878, probably a back-formation.

overwrite(v.)

1690s, "to write over other writing," from over- + write (v.). Of computers, it is attested from 1959. Meaning "to write too elaborately or ornately" is from 1923. Related: Overwriting; overwritten.

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More to explore

rewrite
1560s, "reply in writing," from re- "back, again" + write (v.). The sense of "write again, write a second time" especially in a different form is by 1730. Related: Rewrote; rewritten; rewriting. The newspaper rewrite man, who works up copy for publication from information or stor
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
writing
Old English writing "action of forming letters and characters," verbal noun from write (v.). From c. 1200 as "text; body of poetry, narrative, etc. in written form; written material." From c. 1300 as "a particular text;" mid-14c. as "act of composing a written text." From late 14
prescribe
mid-15c., prescriben, "to write down as a direction, law, or rule," from Latin praescribere "write before, prefix in writing...; ordain, determine in advance," from prae "before" (see pre-) + scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut")....
shrive
assign, prescribe, ordain, decree; impose penance, hear confession; have regard for, care for," apparently originally "to write...tense scraf, past participle scrifen), from Proto-Germanic *skriban (source also of Old Saxon scriban, Old Frisian skriva "write...; impose penance;" Old Dutch scrivan, Dutch schrijven, German schreiben "to write, draw, paint;" Danish skrifte "confess"...), an early borrowing from Latin scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"), which in Old English and Scandinavian...
subscribe
early 15c., "to sign at the bottom of a document," from Latin subscribere "write, write underneath, sign one's name; register...," also figuratively "assent, agree to, approve," from sub "underneath" (see sub-) + scribere "to write" (from PIE root *...
proscribe
early 15c., proscriben, "write before or in front, prefix," from Latin proscribere "publish in writing" (literally "write...publish as having forfeited one's property; condemn, outlaw before the world," from pro "before" (see pro-) + scribere "to write...
arrange
late 14c., arengen, "draw up a line of battle," from Old French arengier "put in a row, put in battle order" (12c., Modern French arranger), from a- "to" (see ad-) + rangier "set in a row" (Modern French ranger), from rang "rank," from Frankish *hring or a similar Germanic source
scribble
mid-15c., scriblen, "to write (something) quickly and carelessly, without regard to correctness or elegance," from Medieval Latin scribillare, diminutive of Latin scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"). Or perhaps a native formation from Middle English scriben "to
indite
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

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