Etymologically
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writer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 20:33. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹaɪ.tə(ɹ)/ (UK); /ˈɹaɪ.təɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English writere,[2] inherited from Old English wrītere (“one who can write; clerk, scribe, copyist”),[3][2] an agent noun from wrītan (“to write”) with -ere.[3][2] It is related to write.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old English wrītere meant a clerk or scribe and also a writer of philosophical or literary works:[3] the OED has the author about 888, the clerk about 890 and a person who can write about 897.[5]

Semantic evolution

By about 1200 it was used of the writer of a letter,[3] and in Middle English also of a chronicler or translator.[3] It is a surname by the late 13th century (Adam le Wrytar).[3] In Scotland a writer was a lawyer or law agent, especially in country towns (from 1540),[5][6] and a Writer to the Signet a clerk of the Secretary of State's office, later a solicitor (1488).[5] A clerk of the East India Company is from 1676,[5] and a sign-painter from 1837.[3][5] Writer's cramp is attested by 1843[3] and writer's block by 1950.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 888 – an author.[5]
  • c. 890 – a clerk, a scribe.[5]
  • c. 1200 – the writer of a letter.[3]
  • 1540 – a Scottish lawyer.[5]
  • 1837 – a sign-painter.[3][5]
  • 1843 – writer's cramp.[3]
  • 1950 – writer's block.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. One who writes, especially as an occupation; an author.
  2. One who has written a particular text.
  3. (Scotland) A lawyer.

Word family

  • braillewriter
  • checkwriter
  • copywriter
  • ghostwriter
  • screenwriter
  • scriptwriter
  • songwriter
  • speechwriter

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)