Written
/ˈrɪt.ən/noun
Past participle of write, meaning composed or recorded in writing.
Did you know?The ancestor of write is tied to an old Germanic idea of scratching or carving, which is why the word’s deep history feels more like etching a spell into a surface than typing on a screen.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“To turn, bend, or twist”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*writaną
“To scratch, tear, or inscribe by cutting”
Old English
OE
writan
“To write, draw, or inscribe by scratching”
Middle English
ME
written
“Written; inscribed; recorded in writing”
Modern English
English
written
“Past participle of write”