well-written

verb

a past participle of write.

adjective

expressed in writing ( distinguished from spoken ).

Related forms

half-writ·ten, adjective

pre·writ·ten, adjective

self-writ·ten, adjective

well-writ·ten, adjective

Can be confused: aural, oral, verbal, written (see usage note at verbal).

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To well-written

Collins

World English Dictionary

well-written

—*adj*
	composed in a competent, and often entertaining, style

00:10

Well-written is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

written (ˈrɪt^ən)

—vb
1.	the past participle of write

—*adj*
2.	Compare spoken taken down in writing; transcribed: written evidence; the written word

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

write

O.E. writan "to score, outline, draw the figure of," later "to set down in writing" (class I strong verb; past tense wrat, pp. writen), from P.Gmc. *writanan "tear, scratch" (cf. O.Fris. writa "to write," O.S. writan "to tear, scratch, write," O.N. rita "write, scratch, outline," O.H.G. rizan "to write,

scratch, tear," Ger. reißen "to tear, pull, tug, sketch, draw, design"), outside connections doubtful. Words for "write" in most I.E languages originally mean "carve, scratch, cut" (cf. L. scribere, Gk. grapho, Skt. rikh-); a few originally meant "paint" (cf. Goth. meljan, O.C.S. pisati, and most of the modern Slavic cognates).

"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.

Matching Quote

"As a perfect Tragedy is the noblest Production of human Nature, so it is capable of giving the Mind one of the most delightful and most improving Entertainments. A virtuous Man (says Seneca) strugling [sic] with Misfortunes, is such a Spectacle as Gods might look upon with Pleasure: And such a Pleasure it is which one meets with in the Representation of a well-written Tragedy. Diversions of this kind wear out of our Thoughts every thing that is mean and little. They cherish and cultivate that Humanity which is the Ornament of our Nature. They soften Insolence, sooth [sic] Affliction, and subdue the Mind to the Dispensations of Providence."

-Joseph Addison

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