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Added 9 October 2026

writ

/ɹɪt/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about writ at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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