writ

English

Etymology

From Middle English writ, from Old English writ and ġewrit (“writing”), 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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪt

Noun

writ (countable and uncountable, plural writs)

1. (law) A written order, issued by a court, ordering someone to do (or stop doing) something.
2. Authority, power to enforce compliance.
   • 2009, Stephen Gale et al., The War on Terrorism: 21st-Century Perspectives‎^[1], Transaction Publishers, →ISBN, page 30:

     We can't let them take advantage of the fact that there are so many areas of the world where no one's writ runs.

   • 1913, Elizabeth Kimball Kendall, A Wayfarer in China:

     Within Lololand, of course, no Chinese writ runs, no Chinese magistrate holds sway, and the people, more or less divided among themselves, are under the government of their tribal chiefs.

3. (archaic) That which is written; writing.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 25:

     Then to his hands that writ he did betake, / Which he disclosing, red thus, as the paper spake.

   • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

     Babylon, so much spoken of in Holy Writ

4. A written order, issued by the British House of Commons, ordering a parliamentary by-election, or an order, issued by the Lord Chancellor, ordering a general election, or one issued by the House of Lords summoning Peers to the Chamber.

Synonyms

• claim form (English law)

Derived terms

• drop the writ
• handwrit
• Holy Writ
• prerogative writ
• proverbs should be writ in pairs
• writ of assistance
• writ of attachment
• writ of execution
• writ of habeas corpus
• writ of inquiry
• writ of mandamus
• writ of privilege
• writ of prohibition
• writ of right
• writ of summons
• writ-room

 

Translations

a written order

• Bulgarian: нареждане (bg) n (nareždane), предписание (bg) n (predpisanie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 令狀／令状 (zh) (lìngzhuàng)

• Czech: písemný příkaz m
• Dutch: bevelschrift (nl), gerechterlijke opdracht, dwangbevel (nl)
• Finnish: oikeuden määräys
• French: ordonnance (fr) f
• German: Erlaß (de) m, Gerichtsurkunde f, Verfügung (de) f, Zwangsbefehl m
• Hungarian: végzés (hu), bírósági végzés, bírói végzés, hivatalos okirat
• Italian: ordinanza (it) f, intimazione (it) f, mandato (it) m, ingiunzione (it) f
• Japanese: 令状 (ja) (れいじょう, reijō)
• Korean: 영장 (ko) (yeongjang)
• Maori: tāmana, whakahau-ā-pukapuka
• Polish: nakaz sądowy m
• Portuguese: mandado (pt) m
• Russian: прика́з (ru) m (prikáz), распоряже́ние суда́ n (rasporjažénije sudá)
• Spanish: decreto judicial m, recurso (es) m, auto (es) m, requerimiento judicial m
• Swedish: skrivelse (sv) c

authority, power to enforce compliance

• Czech: pověření (cs) n, mandát m

that which is written

• Bulgarian: писание (bg) n (pisanie)
• Czech: písemnost (cs) f
• Finnish: kirjoitus (fi)
• French: écrit (fr) m
• Gothic: 𐌱𐍉𐌺𐌰 f (bōka)
• Italian: scritto (it) m
• Polish: pismo (pl) n
• Portuguese: escrito (pt) m
• Spanish: escrito (es) m
• Swedish: skrift (sv) c

References

• Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
• “writ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Verb

writ

1. (archaic) past of write
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:

     I know the hand, in faith tis a faire hand,
     And whiter then the paper it writ on,
     Is the faire hand that writ.

2. (archaic) past participle of write
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:

     I know the hand, in faith tis a faire hand,
     And whiter then the paper it writ on,
     Is the faire hand that writ.

   • c. 1678 (date written; published 1682), J[ohn] Dryden, “Mac Flecknoe”, in Mac Flecknoe: A Poem. […] With Spencer’s Ghost: Being a Satyr Concerning Poetry. […], London: […] H[enry] Hills, […], published 1709, →OCLC, page 7:

     Let Virtuoſo’s in five years be Writ; / Yet not one Thought accuſe thy toil of Wit.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, “Containing five Pages of Paper”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume II, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IV, page 2:

     For as this is the Liquor of modern Hiſtorians, nay, perhaps their Muſe, if we may believe the Opinion of Butler, who attributes Inſpiration to Ale, it ought likewiſe to be the Potation of their Readers; ſince every Book ought to be read with the ſame Spirit, and in the ſame Manner, as it is writ.

   • 1859, Omar Khayyam, “Quatrain LI”, in [Edward FitzGerald], transl., Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the Astronomer-Poet of Persia. […], facsimile edition, London: Bernard Quaritch, […], →OCLC, page 11:

     The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, / Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit / Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, […]

   • 1971, “Life on Mars?”, performed by David Bowie:

     But the film is a saddening bore
     'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
     It's about to be writ again

Usage notes

• The form writ survives in standard dialects in the phrase writ large as well as in works aiming for an intentionally poetic or archaic style. It remains common in some dialects (e.g. Scouse).

Derived terms

• writ large
• writ small

Anagrams

• ITRW, Wirt

Gothic

Romanization

writ

1. Romanization of 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐍄

Old English

Alternative forms

• ġewrit

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *writą, whence also Old High German riz, Old Norse rit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /writ/

Noun

writ n (nominative plural writu)

1. writ

Declension

Declension of writ (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	writ	writu
accusative	writ	writu
genitive	writes	writa
dative	write	writum

Derived terms

• ġewrit