Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wrītan” come from?

wrītan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

wrītan (Old English): to incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to...

Definitions

  1. to incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to...

Ancestry of “wrītan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicwrītanto scratch, to carve
2Proto-Germanicwrītanąto scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “wrītan”

  • writing
  • write
  • handwriting
  • rewrite
  • handwritten
  • songwriting
  • overwrite
  • typewriting
  • screenwriting
  • playwriting
  • writable
  • speechwriting
  • writeth
  • rewritable
  • freewriting
  • scriptwriting
  • writeback
  • handwrite
  • writest
  • sportswriting
  • skywriting
  • rewriter
  • newswriting
  • patchwriting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →