Writ definition | Dictionary.com

writ

1 [rit]

–noun

Law.

a.	a formal order under seal, issued in the name of a sovereign, government, court, or other competent authority, enjoining the officer or other person to whom it is issued or addressed to do or refrain from some specified act.

b.	(in early English law) any formal document in letter form, under seal, and in the sovereign's name.

2.	something written; a writing: sacred writ.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE; c. ON rit writing, Goth writs letter. See write

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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writ

2 [rit]

–verb Archaic.

a pt. and pp. of write.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

write

[rahyt]

verb, wrote or (Archaic

) writ; writ⋅ten or (Archaic

) writ; writ⋅ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to trace or form (characters, letters, words, etc.) on the surface of some material, as with a pen, pencil, or other instrument or means; inscribe: Write your name on the board.

2.	to express or communicate in writing; give a written account of.

3.	to fill in the blank spaces of (a printed form) with writing: to write a check.

4.	to execute or produce by setting down words, figures, etc.: to write two copies of a letter.

5.	to compose and produce in words or characters duly set down: to write a letter to a friend.

6.	to produce as author or composer: to write a sonnet; to write a symphony.

7.	to trace significant characters on, or mark or cover with writing.

8.	to cause to be apparent or unmistakable: Honesty is written on his face.

9.	Computers. to transfer (information, data, programs, etc.) from storage to secondary storage or an output medium.

10.	Stock Exchange. to sell (options).

11.	to underwrite.

–verb (used without object)

12.	to trace or form characters, words, etc., with a pen, pencil, or other instrument or means, or as a pen or the like does: He writes with a pen.

13.	to write as a profession or occupation: She writes for the Daily Inquirer.

14.	to express ideas in writing.

15.	to write a letter or letters, or communicate by letter: Write if you get work.

16.	to compose or work as a writer or author.

17.	Computers. to write into a secondary storage device or output medium.

—Verb phrases

18.

write down,

a.	to set down in writing; record; note.

b.	to direct one's writing to a less intelligent reader or audience: He writes down to the public.

19.

write in,

a.	to vote for (a candidate not listed on the ballot) by writing his or her name on the ballot.

b.	to include in or add to a text by writing: Do not write in corrections on the galley.

c.	to request something by mail: If interested, please write in for details.

20.

write off,

a.	to cancel an entry in an account, as an unpaid and uncollectable debt.

b.	to regard as worthless, lost, obsolete, etc.; decide to forget: to write off their bad experience.

c.	to amortize: The new equipment was written off in three years.

21.

write out,

a.	to put into writing.

b.	to write in full form; state completely.

c.	to exhaust the capacity or resources of by excessive writing: He's just another author who has written himself out.

22.

write up,

a.	to put into writing, esp. in full detail: Write up a report.

b.	to present to public notice in a written description or account.

c.	Accounting. to make an excessive valuation of (an asset).

Origin:
bef. 900; ME writen, OE wrītan; c. OS wrītan to cut, write, G reissen to tear, draw, ON rīta to score, write

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

writ¹ (rĭt) Pronunciation Key
n.

Law A written order issued by a court, commanding the party to whom it is addressed to perform or cease performing a specified act.
Writings: holy writ.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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writ² (rĭt) Pronunciation Key
v. A past tense and a past participle of write.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

write   (rīt) Pronunciation Key
v.   wrote (rōt), writ·ten (rĭt'n) also writ (rĭt), writ·ing, writes

v.   tr.

1. To form (letters, words, or symbols) on a surface such as paper with an instrument such as a pen.
2. To spell: How do you write your name?
To form (letters or words) in cursive style.
To compose and set down, especially in literary or musical form: write a poem; write a prelude.
To draw up in legal form; draft: write a will.
To fill in or cover with writing: write a check; wrote five pages in an hour.
To express in writing; set down: write one's thoughts.
To communicate by correspondence: wrote that she was planning to visit.
To underwrite, as an insurance policy.
To indicate; mark: "Utter dejection was written on every face" (Winston S. Churchill).
To ordain or prophesy: It was written that the empire would fall.
Computer Science To transfer or copy (information) from memory to a storage device or output device.

v. intr.

To trace or form letters, words, or symbols on paper or another surface.
To produce written material, such as articles or books.
To compose a letter; communicate by mail.
To set down in writing.
To reduce in rank, value, or price.
To disparage in writing.
To write in a conspicuously simple or condescending style: felt he had to write down to his students.
To cast a vote by inserting (a name not listed on a ballot).
To insert in a text or document: wrote in an apology at the end of the note.
To communicate with an organization by mail: write in with a completed entry form.
To reduce to zero the book value of (an asset that has become worthless).
To cancel from accounts as a loss.
To consider as a loss or failure: wrote off the rainy first day of the vacation.
To express or compose in writing: write out a request.
To write in full or expanded form: All abbreviations are to be written out.
To write a report or description of, as for publication.
To bring (a journal, for example) up to date.
To overstate the value of (assets).
To report (someone) in writing, as for breaking the law. wrote him up for speeding.

Phrasal Verb(s):
write down

To set down in writing.
To reduce in rank, value, or price.
To disparage in writing.
To write in a conspicuously simple or condescending style: felt he had to write down to his students.

write in

To cast a vote by inserting (a name not listed on a ballot).
To insert in a text or document: wrote in an apology at the end of the note.
To communicate with an organization by mail: write in with a completed entry form.

write off

To reduce to zero the book value of (an asset that has become worthless).
To cancel from accounts as a loss.
To consider as a loss or failure: wrote off the rainy first day of the vacation.

write out

To express or compose in writing: write out a request.
To write in full or expanded form: All abbreviations are to be written out.

write up

To write a report or description of, as for publication.
To bring (a journal, for example) up to date.
To overstate the value of (assets).
To report (someone) in writing, as for breaking the law. wrote him up for speeding.

Idiom(s):
write (one's) own ticket To set one's own terms or course of action entirely according to one's own needs or wishes: an open-ended and generous scholarship that lets recipients write their own ticket.

Idiom(s):
writ large Signified, expressed, or embodied in a greater or more prominent magnitude or degree: "The man was no more than the boy writ large" (George Eliot).

[Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan.]

Word History: Every western Indo-European language except English derives its verb for "to write" from Latin scrībere: écrire in French, escribir in Spanish, scrivere in Italian, scribaim in Old Irish, ysgrifennu in Welsh, skriva in Breton, skrifa in Old Norse, skrive in Danish and Norwegian, skriva in Swedish, schreiben in German, schrijven in Dutch. The Old English verb "to write" is wrītan, from a Germanic root *writ- that derives from an Indo-European root *wreid- meaning "to cut, scratch, tear, sketch an outline." German still retains this meaning in its cognate verb reissen, "to tear." Only Old English employed wrītan to refer to writing, that is, scratching on parchment with a pen. English shows a similar contrariness in its verb read, being almost the only western European language not to derive its verb for that concept from Latin legere.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
writ

O.E. writ "something written, piece of writing," from the past participle stem of writan (see write). Used of legal documents or instruments since at least 1121.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

writ
noun
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer

Investopedia - Cite This Source - Share This

Writ

A formal document written by a judge or official requiring specific action.

Investopedia Commentary

For example, a writ of summons would be issued to a defendant informing them that they are required to appear before the court based on a plaintiff's decision to pursue legal action against them.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: writ
Pronunciation: 'rit
Function: noun
Etymology: Old English, something written
1 : a letter that was issued in the name of the English monarch from Anglo-Saxon times to declare his grants, wishes, and commands
2 : an order or mandatory process in writing issued in the name of the sovereign or of a court or judicial officer commanding the person to whom it is directed to perform or refrain from performing a specified act
NOTE: The writ was a vital official instrument in the old common law of England. A plaintiff commenced a suit at law by choosing the proper form of action and obtaining a writ appropriate to the remedy sought; its issuance forced the defendant to comply or to appear in court and defend. Writs were also in constant use for financial and political purposes of government. While the writ no longer governs civil pleading and has lost many of its applications, the extraordinary writs esp. of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, and certiorari indicate its historical importance as an instrument of judicial authority.

alias writ
: a writ issued upon the failure of a previous one

alternative writ
: a writ commanding one to perform a mandated act or else to show cause why the act need not be performed —compare PEREMPTORY WRIT in this entry

extraordinary writ
: a writ granted as an extraordinary remedy at the discretion of the court in its jurisdiction over officials or inferior tribunals called also prerogative writ —see also CERTIORARI, HABEAS CORPUS, MANDAMUS, PROCEDENDO, PROHIBITION, QUO WARRANTO —compare WRIT OF RIGHT 2 in this entry
NOTE: Extraordinary writs were originally writs exercised by royal prerogative.

judicial writ
: a writ issued by a court under its own seal for judicial purposes in the course of a proceeding or to enforce a judgment —compare ORIGINAL WRIT in this entry

original writ
: a writ formerly used in England that issued out of chancery as the means of bringing a suit and defendant before the court —compare JUDICIAL WRIT in this entry
NOTE: The original writ was superseded by the summons in 1873.

peremptory writ
: a writ (as of mandamus) that presents an absolute order without the alternative to show cause peremptory writ of prohibition> —compare ALTERNATIVE WRIT in this entry

pre·rog·a·tive writ
/pri-'rä-g&-tiv-/
: EXTRAORDINARY WRIT in this entry

writ of assistance
1 : a writ issued to a law officer (as a sheriff or marshal) for the enforcement of a court order or decree; especially : one used to enforce an order for the possession of lands
2 : a writ provided for under British rule in colonial America that authorized customs officers to search unspecified places for any smuggled goods
NOTE: Many colonial courts refused to issue writs of assistance, which were a focus of bitter resentment against arbitrary searches and seizures. Opposition to such writs inspired the provision in the U.S. Constitution requiring that a search warrant describe with particularity the place and items to be searched.

writ of coram nobis
: WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS in this entry

writ of error
: a common-law writ directing an inferior court to remit the record of an action to the reviewing court in order that an error of law may be corrected if it exists
NOTE: The writ of error has been largely abolished and superseded by the appeal.

writ of error coram nobis
: a writ calling the attention of the trial court to facts which do not appear on the record despite the exercise of reasonable diligence by the defendant and which if known and established at the time a judgment was rendered would have resulted in a different judgment writ of error coram nobis on the ground that newly discovered evidence exonerated him> called also coram nobis writ of coram nobis

writ of right
1 : a common-law writ formerly used to restore property held by another to its rightful owner
2 : a writ granted as a matter of right —compare EXTRAORDINARY WRIT in this entry

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Writ

Writ\, obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Write, for writeth. --Chaucer.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Writ

Writ\, archaic imp. & p. p. of Write. --Dryden.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Writ

Writ\, n. [AS. writ, gewrit. See Write.]

1. That which is written; writing; scripture; -- applied especially to the Scriptures, or the books of the Old and New testaments; as, sacred writ. "Though in Holy Writ not named." --Milton.

Then to his hands that writ he did betake, Which he disclosing read, thus as the paper spake. --Spenser.

Babylon, so much spoken of in Holy Writ. --Knolles.

2. (Law) An instrument in writing, under seal, in an epistolary form, issued from the proper authority, commanding the performance or nonperformance of some act by the person to whom it is directed; as, a writ of entry, of error, of execution, of injunction, of mandamus, of return, of summons, and the like.

Note: Writs are usually witnessed, or tested, in the name of the chief justice or principal judge of the court out of which they are issued; and those directed to a sheriff, or other ministerial officer, require him to return them on a day specified. In former English law and practice, writs in civil cases were either original or judicial; the former were issued out of the Court of Chancery, under the great seal, for the summoning of a defendant to appear, and were granted before the suit began and in order to begin the same; the latter were issued out of the court where the original was returned, after the suit was begun and during the pendency of it. Tomlins. Brande. Encyc. Brit. The term writ is supposed by Mr. Reeves to have been derived from the fact of these formul[ae] having always been expressed in writing, being, in this respect, distinguished from the other proceedings in the ancient action, which were conducted orally.

Writ of account, Writ of capias, etc. See under Account, Capias, etc.

Service of a writ. See under Service.

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