Etymology Map
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Write

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means to form letters or words on a surface

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

1
Stage 1 of 3
wrītaną
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"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 of 3
wrītan
Old English · 700s-1000s
"to write"
took on the sense of writing on parchment with the Christian scribes
3
Stage 3 of 3
write
English · 1500s
"to write"
'wrote' and 'written' keep its old strong-verb forms
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Read the full story

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.