Scriveners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who engage in writing, especially for others, such as clerks or professional copyists
2. Persons skilled in the art of transcription and record-keeping, often in legal or official contexts
3. Professionals who prepare written documents, particularly in relation to legal affairs or drafting letters and contracts

Etymology: The plural "scriveners" is the form of "scrivener," a word that began in medieval England as a trade name for a professional penman. The Middle English "scryvener" was altered from "scryveyn," which came from Anglo-Norman "scrivein," meaning a professional copyist, and that in turn came from Old French "escrivain." Behind the French lies a Vulgar Latin "scriba," which is the Latin word for a writer or clerk, derived from the verb "scrībō," meaning "to write." The word's core idea has stayed remarkably steady across more than six centuries. A scrivener was, at root, someone whose living came from putting words onto parchment or paper for others, whether copying a manuscript, drafting a contract, or recording a deed. That practical sense of "one who writes for hire" is still what the word carries, now mostly in legal and official settings.

Synonyms: scribe, copyist, writer, author, notary