Writing Began as Scratching
Writing is the recording of language in signs. The English verb once meant to scratch, which is exactly what the first writers did.
Writing is language recorded in visible signs. The English verb betrays the technology: *write* comes from a root meaning to scratch or carve, because that is what early writing was. The same is true of *scribe* in Latin and of cuneiform, whose name means wedge-shaped, after the marks a reed made in wet clay.
- The act of writing. *Creative writing.*
- Written work. *Her early writings.*
- Handwriting. *Neat writing.*
- The writing on the wall — a warning of doom. *He saw the writing on the wall.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | writing | Good writing. |
| Plural | writings | Collected writings. |
| Verb | write | Write it down. |
| Past | wrote / written | Already written. |
| Person | writer | A staff writer. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Put it in writing.Make it a written record.
- His handwriting is illegible.The physical marks.
- The writing was on the wall.From the Book of Daniel.
Writing systems
- Cuneiform — wedge marks pressed into clay in Mesopotamia
- Hieroglyphs — Egyptian, both pictorial and phonetic
- Alphabet — one sign per sound, from Phoenician roots
- Syllabary — one sign per syllable, as in Japanese kana
- Logographic — one sign per word or morpheme, as in Chinese characters
From Old English *writan*, to score, outline or draw the figure of. Related to German *reissen*, to tear or scratch.
Where does *the writing on the wall* come from?
From the biblical feast of Belshazzar, where a hand writes a message of doom on the palace wall.
Which writing system is oldest?
Cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs are the earliest known, both appearing around five thousand years ago.