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.

---

indite British  

/ ɪnˈdaɪt /

verb

1. archaic to write

2. obsolete to dictate

---

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

"Who should indite it but I myself, sinner as I am?" replied Sancho.

From The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

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

The men who were employed to indite the Bible, spoke not of themselves.

From Practical Religion Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by John Charles Ryle

When he recovers he indites the aforesaid letter.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 349, November, 1844 by Various

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 Richard Savage

They fortunately do not meet; but James, ordering pen and paper, sits down and indites a letter.

From The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. II by Charles James Lever

Hear how learned Greece her useful rules indites, When to repress and when indulge our flights.

From An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope

Well, it is in this wise: A correspondent of the Month, who signs himself “Narcissus,” lives in a suburban square, from which he indites a remarkable letter.

From John Leech, His Life and Work. Vol. 1 by William Powell Frith

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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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

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

There was no reference even to the letter, though that was indited in harsh and rude terms.

From Whirlpools A Novel of Modern Poland by Henryk Sienkiewicz

The production is a remarkable one, as well as the inditing of it a very singular phenomenon.

From Marital Power Exemplified in Mrs. Packard's Trial, and Self-Defence from the Charge of Insanity by Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard

Then the young people sent notes to their friends in the other saloon, the young men inditing love-letters.

From Froth by Armando Palacio Vald?s

Glancing hastily upwards, I—yes I, in the body at this present, inditing this faithful description of my chase,—saw, not a hundred paces from me, an enormous vulture!

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851 by Various

Only imagine one of these despairing backwoodsmen inditing an Ovidian epistle to his unknown mistress—"down east,"—wooing her to come and be wooed!

From Sketches in Canada, and rambles among the red men by Mrs. (Anna) Jameson

He also occupies himself at times in inditing memoirs of his life, and as he has seen a good deal of French society, and was a shrewd and intelligent observer, he has much to say.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol IV. No. XX. January, 1852. by Various