write

Where does the word "write" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Write’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: wrītaną meant “to scratch.” Meant to scratch or carve, as runes were cut into wood and stone; German 'reißen', to tear, is a cousin. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as wrītan. Took on the sense of writing on parchment with the Christian scribes. It reached English by 1500s as write. 'wrote' and 'written' keep its old strong-verb forms. Today, write means to form letters or words on a surface.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient wrītaną "to scratch", meant to scratch or carve, as runes were cut into wood and stone; German 'reißen', to tear, is a cousin.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s wrītan "to write", took on the sense of writing on parchment with the Christian scribes.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s write "to write", 'wrote' and 'written' keep its old strong-verb forms.