écrire French · revision 17448

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis|origins=la scrībō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /e.kʁiʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''écrire'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|escrivre]], the regular outcome, and [[m|fro|escrire]]; the spelling ''écrire'' is recorded in 1636.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|escrire]], [[inh|la|scrībō|t=to trace characters; to write; to compose]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|11, 331b)^(Wiktionary) The form “escrivre” gave way to “escrire” in the 13th century under the influence of “lire” and “dire”, with which the verb was so often coupled.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989) The Latin verb is related to Indo-European words meaning “to scratch, incise”, which recalls the material origin of most writing, carved on stone or scratched on a surface; the Petit Robert compares [[grc|σκαριφάομαι|tr=skaripháomai|t=to scratch]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|scrivere]], [[oc|escriure]], [[es|escribir]], [[pt|escrever]] and [[ro|scrie]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873) The Petit Robert also compares [[br|skriva]] and [[de|schreiben]].^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found about 1050 in the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (''escrit'' “he writes it down”) in the sense “to put in writing”; the ''Chanson de Roland'' has ''il est escrit en la geste francor'' “it is written in the chronicle of the Franks”.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old French already used the verb intransitively for writing a letter (after 1250, ''écrire à quelqu'un'' about 1560); it then meant “to inscribe lastingly” (1268) and “to express in writing”, also absolutely of authors (1549).^(DHLF 1992) In the 16th century it took the sense “to spell (a word) with certain letters”.^(DHLF 1992) The Académie added “to compose music” in 1835, and after 1960 the verb was used for storing data in a computer's memory.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ''C'est écrit'' “it is fated” and ''ce qui est écrit est écrit'' (1694) echo Pontius Pilate's words about the inscription on the Cross.^(DHLF 1992) The past participle used as a noun, ''un écrit'', is found from 1119, and ''l'écrit'', the written part of an examination, from 1900 (Colette).^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1050 – ''Escrit'' in the ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1119 – The noun ''escrit'', in Philippe de Thaon.^(TLFi)

+ * 13th century – ''Escrire'' replaces ''escrivre''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1268 – “To inscribe lastingly”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1580 – ''Écrivailleur'' in Montaigne.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1636 – The spelling ''écrire'', in Monet.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1835 – “To compose music”, in the Académie's dictionary.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1900 – ''L'écrit'' of an examination, in Colette.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To form letters and words on a surface; to [[m|en|write]]: ''apprendre à écrire''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # To spell: ''comment écrit-on ce mot ?''^(DHLF 1992)

+ # To put down in writing; to [[m|en|compose]] a text or a work: ''écrire un roman''; to be an author.^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # To write a [[m|en|letter]] to someone: ''écrire à sa mère''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # To compose music.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(computing)'' To store data in a memory.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[écrit]]

+ * [[écriteau]]

+ * [[écrivailler]]

+ * [[récrire]]

+ * [[écriture]]

+ * [[écrivain]]

+ * [[écritoire]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[scribe]]

+ * [[décrire]]

+ * [[inscrire]]

+ * [[prescrire]]

+ * [[la|scrībō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}