Writing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹaɪtɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The activity or skill of forming letters, words, or symbols to communicate ideas or information ; a piece of text produced by this activity ; the style or manner in which something is written
2. The act or process of creating written content for expression or communication ; a completed text or document resulting from this process ; an individual's distinctive handwriting or literary style
3. The practice of inscribing language onto a surface to convey meaning ; any authored work or composition ; the characteristic way in which someone produces text or handwriting

Etymology: The verb "write" goes back to Old English "wrītan", which meant "to scratch, carve" rather than "to put words on paper." That older sense survives in the idea of carving marks into a surface, and it reminds us that the earliest writing in the Germanic world was incised into wood or stone. The Old English form came from a Proto-Germanic root meaning to cut or scratch, so the physical act came first and the abstract sense of composing text followed. The noun "writing" comes directly from the verb plus the suffix "-ing", which in Old English turned verbs into nouns for the action or its result. Old English already had "wrīting" as a noun, and it passed into Middle English in forms such as "writyng" and "wryting" before settling into its modern spelling. Its meaning shifted over time from the act of making marks to the marks themselves, and then to the texts and literary works those marks produce.

Synonyms: composing, scribing, inscribing, penning, authorship

Antonyms: speaking, verbalizing, oral communication