scribe

[skrahyb]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scribe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of printing.

a public clerk or writer, usually one having official status.

Also called sopher, sofer. Judaism. one of the group of Palestinian scholars and teachers of Jewish law and tradition, active from the 5th century b.c. to the 1st century a.d., who transcribed, edited, and interpreted the Bible.

a writer or author, especially a journalist.

verb (used without object), scribed, scrib·ing.

to act as a scribe; write.

verb (used with object), scribed, scrib·ing.

to write down.

Origin of scribe

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin scrība clerk, derivative of scrībere to write

Related formsscrib·al, adjectiveun·scrib·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for scribal

accounting, bookkeeping, office, subordinate, written, clerkly, stenographic, typing

Examples from the Web for scribal

Historical Examples of scribal

Larum here seems to be tautological, perhaps a scribal error.
Genesis A
Anonymous
In selfd 8, d is due to anticipation of the following word: in wid 10 d is scribal error for .
Selections from Early Middle English 1130-1250: Part II: Notes
Various
It is possible that the occurrence of Guthlaf as Garulf's father is simply a scribal error.
Beowulf
R. W. Chambers
The symbol used after q as a scribal abbreviation in Latin has been represented by ȝ.
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Vol II
Edward Luther Stevenson
The symbol used after q or q̄ as a scribal abbreviation in Latin has been represented by ȝ.
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Vol I
Edward Luther Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for scribal

scribe

noun

a person who copies documents, esp a person who made handwritten copies before the invention of printing

a clerk or public copyist

Old Testament a recognized scholar and teacher of the Jewish Law

Judaism a man qualified to write certain documents in accordance with religious requirements

an author or journalist: used humorously

another name for scriber

verb

to score a line on (a surface) with a pointed instrument, as in metalworking

Derived Formsscribal, adjective

Word Origin for scribe

(in the senses: writer, etc) C14: from Latin scrība clerk, from scrībere to write; C17 (vb): perhaps from inscribe

Scribe

noun

Augustin Eugène (oɡystɛ̃ øʒɛn). 1791–1861, French author or coauthor of over 350 vaudevilles, comedies, and libretti for light opera

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for scribal

scribe

c.1200, "professional interpreter of the Jewish Law" (late 11c. as a surname), from Church Latin scriba "teacher of Jewish law," used in Vulgate to render Greek grammateus (corresponding to Hebrew sopher "writer, scholar"), special use of Latin scriba "keeper of accounts, secretary, writer," from past participle stem of scribere "to write;" see script (n.). Sense "one who writes, official or public writer" in English is from late 14c.

scribe

"to write," mid-15c., from Latin scribere "to write" (see script (n.)).