indite

American  

[in-dahyt] / ɪnˈdaɪt /

verb (used with object)

indites, present (3rd person singular) indited, past participle, past inditing present participle

1. to compose or write, as a poem.

2. to treat in a literary composition.

3. Obsolete. to dictate.

4. Obsolete. to prescribe.

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indite British  

/ ɪnˈdaɪt /

verb

1. archaic to write

2. obsolete to dictate

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Usage

Indite and inditement are sometimes wrongly used where indict and indictment are meant: he was indicted (not indited ) for fraud

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• inditement
  noun
• inditer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• inditing
  present
• indited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• indite
  simple
• indites
  simple
• have indited
  perfect
• has indited
  perfect
• am inditing
  progressive
• are inditing
  progressive
• is inditing
  progressive
• have been inditing
  perfect progressive
• has been inditing
  perfect progressive

Past

• indited
  simple
• had indited
  perfect
• was inditing
  progressive
• were inditing
  progressive
• had been inditing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will indite
  simple
• will have indited
  perfect
• will be inditing
  progressive
• will have been inditing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of indite

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English enditen, from Old French enditer, from unattested Vulgar Latin indictāre, derivative of Latin indictus, past participle of indīcere “to announce, proclaim”; see in- ², dictum

Explanation

The verb indite, rarely used today, means "compose" or "put down in writing," like when you find a quiet place to sit down with your notebook and pen and indite a journal entry or a first draft of a short story. To indite is to write something creative — you indite a letter, and jot a grocery list. Don't confuse indite with its homophone indict, which means "to charge with a crime." Both come from the Latin word dictare, meaning “to declare.” Even if you indite a really bad poem, critics won't indict you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indite indites indited inditing

Even in the White House he never dictated or used a typewriter, "and the number of letters he could indite with his own heavy fist was limited."

From Time Magazine Archive

He that would triumph over the petty trickery of fate must indite history at its source.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Then I desir'd her to indite a Letter for me, for I saw well enough I shou'd not please her.

From Olinda's Adventures: or the Amours of a Young Lady by Anonymous

We have a great mind, at some future moment of leisure, to indite an article on the subject, and vindicate, in all its antiquity, the speech of Ossian and of Adam.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 370, August 1846 by Various

Have the goodness, Mr. Hetherington, to sit down at that small table—you will there find all things needful for writing, and indite the handbill that will be necessary for us.

From The Vicar of Wrexhill by Trollope, Mrs

The One who indites this epistle is thus designated, probably, because, unless they repented of the things alleged against them, he would fight against them with the sword of his mouth.

From A Brief Commentary on the Apocalypse by Bliss, Sylvester

He rings for Barney, and indites a note to his foreman at the "Golden Chariot."

From The Little Lady of Lagunitas A Franco-Californian Romance by Savage, Richard

Every day she sits in the sunshine and reads her books or indites letters to her friends.

From Rosemary and Rue by Amber

Colonel Valois indites to Judge Philip Hardin a letter of last requests.

From The Little Lady of Lagunitas A Franco-Californian Romance by Savage, Richard

While his meal is being served in his parlor, he indites a note to Hardin's political Mark Antony.

From The Little Lady of Lagunitas A Franco-Californian Romance by Savage, Richard

He indited the script to "Emperors, Kings, Dukes, Marquises, Earls and Knights," full knowing that the house of Polo would profit by the advertisement.

From Time Magazine Archive

Readers ascertained on closer scrutiny that Mr. Rogers was permitting this journal to publish a series of open epistles indited by him to Calvin Coolidge.

From Time Magazine Archive

Soon the compromise was indited, the bargain between miners and owners sealed, the strike averted.

From Time Magazine Archive

Rushing to Washington, Congressman Linthicum indited invitations to all 71st House members to attend a Wet Bloc organization meeting early in December.

From Time Magazine Archive

He accordingly indited a sweet note expressive of joyous surprise, and requesting the honour of an interview.

From The Maid of Honour (Vol. 3 of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Wingfield, Lewis

Char Vivian did not raise her eyes from the letter she was rapidly inditing, and her secretary retreated to give the order.

From The War-Workers by Delafield, E.M.

If this be true, the inditing such a preface, while totally suppressing Prichard's name, does little credit to Hyde.

From Annals of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, A.D. 1598-A.D. 1867 With a Preliminary Notice of the earlier Library founded in the Fourteenth Century by Macray, William Dunn

The Captain was not long in inditing a short note to Scanlan, to whom, "strictly confidential," Mr. Merl was introduced as a great capitalist and speculator, desirous to ascertain all the resources of the land.

From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. II (of II) by Lever, Charles James

Your butler and your coachman, when leaving your service, do not present themselves to a new master with characters of their own inditing, or if they did they would unquestionably require a very rigid scrutiny.

From Nuts and Nutcrackers by Lever, Charles James

I went up and very considerably surprised, not to say alarmed, young Mr. Benson, who had the photograph of a lady propped up on a desk before him and was obviously inditing an amorous epistle.

From The City in the Clouds by Gull, C. Ranger