escrito

Forms

escrito (feminine escrita, masculine plural escritos, feminine plural escritas)^[1] Old Spanish wrote it mostly in the Latinising spelling escripto, also scripto and escrito.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin scrīptus (“written”), the past participle of scrībō (“to write”), and serves as the irregular past participle of escribir.^[1][4][5] The noun continues the neuter scrīptum (“something written”).^[1] The Latinising spelling escripto was usual from the earliest texts, and is still kept in some compound verbs in the Americas.^[3]

The same participle is Portuguese escrito, Catalan escrit, French écrit and Italian scritto.^[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DEMel's first record is escripto in the Auto de los Reyes Magos of about 1180.^[2] As a noun it is in Alfonso X's prose of the 1250s, for a written document and for a written work, and in the phrases en escripto “in writing” and meter en escripto “to set down in writing”.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Covarrubias in 1611 gave the noun as the paper a lawyer prepares for court, with tomar por escrito “not to trust to words” and melón escrito, a melon with fine cracks in its rind.^[7] Autoridades listed the noun for an author's book or work and, in law, for a plea presented in a suit.^[8] The 1843 edition added así estaba escrito “so Providence had ordained”.^[9] In 1884 the Academy added a letter or any handwritten paper and gave the etymology from Latin scriptus.^[10] In Uruguay escrito is a written test at school.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 1180 – escripto in the Auto de los Reyes Magos.^[2]
• 1254–1260 – Alfonso X's astronomical prose uses scripto for a written work.^[6]
• 1527 – first record in the Americas, at Santa Marta: el escrito e interrogatorio.^[12]
• 1611 – Covarrubias gives the lawyer's escrito and melón escrito.^[7]
• 1726–1739 – Autoridades records the noun for an author's work and a legal plea.^[8]
• 1884 – the Academy adds the sense of a letter or document.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. written: expressed in writing: un examen escrito.^[4][1]
2. Marked with spots or streaks that look like letters or pen strokes.^[4][1]

Noun

1. A letter, document or any handwritten, typed or printed paper: Mandó un escrito al ayuntamiento.^[4][13][1]
2. A scientific or literary work: Sus escritos de juventud se perdieron.^[4][1]
3. (law) A plea or petition in a suit or case.^[4][1]
4. (Uruguay, education) A written test.^[11]

Related words

• escribir
• escritor
• escritura

Usage notes

Por escrito means “in writing”, and estar escrito “to be fated”.^[13][9] The feminine escrita also names a ray with a pointed snout and a spotted back.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Diccionario del Español Medieval electrónico (DEMel), data publication 2026 (CC BY-SA), Universität Rostock, p. s.v. escrito
3. ^ a b Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 711
4. ^ a b c d e f g Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. escrito
5. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. scriptus
6. ^ a b Kasten, Lloyd A.; Nitti, John J.; Gago Jover, Francisco (2002–), Diccionario de la prosa castellana del Rey Alfonso X, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (electronic edition 2024), p. s.v. escrito
7. ^ a b Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 773
8. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 3, 573
9. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1843), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 9th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Francisco María Fernández, p. 314
10. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 452
11. ^ a b Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2010), Diccionario de americanismos, Lima: Santillana; online at https://www.asale.org/damer, p. s.v. escrito
12. ^ Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. escricto
13. ^ a b Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. escrito