| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
write (raɪt) ![]() | |
| —vb , writes, writing, wrote, written | |
| 1. | to draw or mark (symbols, words, etc) on a surface, usually paper, with a pen, pencil, or other instrument |
| 2. | to describe or record (ideas, experiences, etc) in writing |
| 3. | to compose (a letter) to or correspond regularly with (a person, organization, etc) |
| 4. | (tr; may take a clause as object) to say or communicate by letter: he wrote that he was on his way |
| 5. | informal chiefly (US), (Canadian) (tr) to send a letter to (a person, etc) |
| 6. | to write (words) in cursive as opposed to printed style |
| 7. | (tr) to be sufficiently familiar with (a specified style, language, etc) to use it in writing |
| 8. | to be the author or composer of (books, music, etc) |
| 9. | (tr) to fill in the details for (a document, form, etc) |
| 10. | (tr) to draw up or draft |
| 11. | (tr) to produce by writing: he wrote ten pages |
| 12. | (tr) to show clearly: envy was written all over his face |
| 13. | (tr) to spell, inscribe, or entitle |
| 14. | (tr) to ordain or prophesy: it is written |
| 15. | (tr) to sit (an examination) |
| 16. | (intr) to produce writing as specified |
| 17. | computing Compare read to record (data) in a location in a storage device |
| 18. | (tr) Compare underwrite |
| [Old English wrītan (originally: to scratch runes into bark); related to Old Frisian wrīta, Old Norse rīta, Old High German rīzan (German reissen to tear)] | |
| 'writable | |
| —adj | |
"For men use to write an evill turne in marble stone, but a good turne in the dust." [More, 1513]To write (something) off (1682) originally was from accounting; fig. sense is recorded from 1889. Write-in "unlisted candidate" is recorded from 1932.