scribe

¹

[skrahyb]

noun

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

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

3. 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.

4. a writer or author, especially a journalist.

verb (used without object)

scribed, scribing 

1. to act as a scribe; write.

verb (used with object)

scribed, scribing 

1. to write down.

scribe

²

[skrahyb]

verb (used with object)

scribed, scribing 

1. to mark or score (wood or the like) with a pointed instrument as a guide to cutting or assembling.

noun

1. scriber.

Scribe

³

[skreeb]

noun

1. Augustin Eugène 1791–1861, French dramatist.

scribe

¹

/ skraɪb /

noun

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

2. a clerk or public copyist

3. Old Testament a recognized scholar and teacher of the Jewish Law

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

5. an author or journalist: used humorously

6. another name for scriber

verb

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

Scribe

²

/ skrib /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• scribal adjective
• unscribal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scribe¹

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

Origin of scribe²

First recorded in 1670–80; perhaps aphetic form of inscribe

Word History and Origins

Origin of scribe¹

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

Example Sentences

He was among a group of “The Bear” scribes to earn a WGA Award in 2023 when the the show was named best comedy series.

From Los Angeles Times

Or, rather, her second Tony, as “Oh, Mary!” scribe and star Cole Escola so studiously noted as they accepted their Tony for best actor in a play at Sunday’s Tony Awards ceremony.

From Salon

Eight women accused the 64-year-old British scribe of assault, abuse and coercion in an article published Monday.

From Los Angeles Times

He got his start as a scribe for sitcoms, including “The Odd Couple” and “The Partridge Family,” before breaking into movies with the 1977 blockbuster “Smokey and the Bandit.”

From Los Angeles Times

Her audition for that comedy's breakout character, Kelli, began in the show’s writers’ room; she was the first scribe to be hired.

From Salon

Related Words

• author 
• journalist 
• writer