Chapter 1909

2. (Law) An instrument in writing, under seal, in an epistolary form, issued from the proper authority, commanding the performance or nonperformance of some act by the person to whom it is directed; as, a writ of entry, of error, of execution, of injunction, of mandamus, of return, of summons, and the like .

&hand; Writs are usually witnessed, or tested , in the name of the chief justice or principal judge of the court out of which they are issued; and those directed to a sheriff, or other ministerial officer, require him to return them on a day specified. In former English law and practice, writs in civil cases were either original or judicial ; the former were issued out of the Court of Chancery, under the great seal, for the summoning of a defendant to appear, and were granted before the suit began and in order to begin the same; the latter were issued out of the court where the original was returned, after the suit was begun and during the pendency of it. Tomlins . Brande . Encyc . Brit . The term writ is supposed by Mr. Reeves to have been derived from the fact of these formul\'91 having always been expressed in writing , being, in this respect, distinguished from the other proceedings in the ancient action, which were conducted orally .

Writ of account , Writ of capias , etc. See under Account , Capias , etc. -- Service of a writ . See under Service .

Writability <Xpage=1669>

Writ`a*bil"i*ty (?) , n. Ability or capacity to write. [R.]

Walpole.

Writable <Xpage=1669>

Writ"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of, or suitable for, being written down.

Writative <Xpage=1669>

Writ"a*tive (?) , a. Inclined to much writing; -- correlative to talkative . [R.]

Pope.

Write <Xpage=1669>

Write (?) , v. t. [ imp. Wrote (?) ; p. p. Written (?) ; Archaic imp. & p. p. Writ (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Writing .] [OE. writen , AS. wr\'c6tan ; originally, to scratch, to score; akin to OS. wr\'c6tan to write, to tear, to wound, D. rijten to tear, to rend, G. reissen , OHG. r\'c6zan , Icel. r\'c6ta to write, Goth. writs a stroke, dash, letter. Cf. Race tribe, lineage.]

1. To set down, as legible characters; to form the conveyance of meaning; to inscribe on any material by a suitable instrument; as, to write the characters called letters; to write figures .

2. To set down for reading; to express in legible or intelligible characters; to inscribe; as, to write a deed; to write a bill of divorcement ; hence, specifically, to set down in an epistle; to communicate by letter.

Last night she enjoined me to write some lines to one she loves. Shak.

I chose to write the thing I durst not speak To her I loved. Prior.

3. Hence, to compose or produce, as an author.

I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time within the memory of men still living. Macaulay.

4. To impress durably; to imprint; to engrave; as, truth written on the heart .

5. To make known by writing; to record; to prove by one's own written testimony; -- often used reflexively.

He who writes himself by his own inscription is like an ill painter, who, by writing on a shapeless picture which he hath drawn, is fain to tell passengers what shape it is, which else no man could imagine. Milton.

To write to , to communicate by a written document to. -- Written laws , laws deriving their force from express legislative enactment, as contradistinguished from unwritten , or common, law. See the Note under Law , and Common law , under Common , a.

Write <Xpage=1669>

Write , v. i. 1. To form characters, letters, or figures, as representative of sounds or ideas; to express words and sentences by written signs.

Chaucer.

So it stead you, I will write , Please you command. Shak.

2. To be regularly employed or occupied in writing, copying, or accounting; to act as clerk or amanuensis; as, he writes in one of the public offices .

3. To frame or combine ideas, and express them in written words; to play the author; to recite or relate in books; to compose.

They can write up to the dignity and character of the authors. Felton.

4. To compose or send letters.

He wrote for all the Jews that went out of his realm up into Jewry concerning their freedom. 1 Esdras iv. 49.

Writer <Xpage=1669>

Writ"er (?) , n. [AS. wr\'c6tere .]

1. One who writes, or has written; a scribe; a clerk.

They [came] that handle the pen of the writer . Judg. v. 14.

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer . Ps. xlv. 1.

2. One who is engaged in literary composition as a profession; an author; as, a writer of novels .

This pitch, as ancient writers do report, doth defile. Shak.

3. A clerk of a certain rank in the service of the late East India Company, who, after serving a certain number of years, became a factor.

Writer of the tallies (Eng. Law) , an officer of the exchequer of England, who acted as clerk to the auditor of the receipt, and wrote the accounts upon the tallies from the tellers' bills. The use of tallies in the exchequer has been abolished. Wharton (Law. Dict.) -- Writer's cramp , palsy , &or; spasm (Med.) , a painful spasmodic affection of the muscles of the fingers, brought on by excessive use, as in writing, violin playing, telegraphing, etc. Called also scrivener's palsy . -- Writer to the signet . See under Signet .

Writership <Xpage=1669>

Writ"er*ship (?) , n. The office of a writer.

Writhe <Xpage=1669>

Writhe (?) , v. t. [ imp. Writhed (?) ; p. p. Writhed , Obs. or Poetic Writhen (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing .] [OE. writhen , AS. wr\'c6<?/an to twist; akin to OHG. r\'c6dan , Icel. r\'c6<?/a , Sw. vrida , Dan. vride . Cf. Wreathe , Wrest , Wroth .]

1. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring. "With writhing [turning] of a pin."

Chaucer.

Then Satan first knew pain, And writhed him to and fro. Milton.

Her mouth she writhed , her forehead taught to frown. Dryden.

His battle- writhen arms, and mighty hands. Tennyson.

2. To wrest; to distort; to pervert.

The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed . Hooker.

3. To extort; to wring; to wrest. [R.] <-- ; extract -->

The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression. Sir W. Scott.

Writhe <Xpage=1669>

Writhe , v. i. To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony . Also used figuratively.

After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with shame and vexation. Macaulay.

Writhen <Xpage=1669>

Writh"en (?) , a. Having a twisted distorted from.

A writhen staff his step unstable guides. Fairfax.

Writhle <Xpage=1669>

Wri"thle (?) , v. t. [Freq. of writhe .] To wrinkle. [Obs.]

Shak.

Writing <Xpage=1669>

Writ"ing (?) , n. 1. The act or art of forming letters and characters on paper, wood, stone, or other material, for the purpose of recording the ideas which characters and words express, or of communicating them to others by visible signs.

2. Anything written or printed; anything expressed in characters or letters ; as: (a) Any legal instrument, as a deed, a receipt, a bond, an agreement, or the like. (b) Any written composition; a pamphlet; a work; a literary production; a book; as, the writings of Addison . (c) An inscription.

And Pilate wrote a title . . . And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. John xix. 19.

3. Handwriting; chirography.

Writing book , a book for practice in penmanship. -- Writing desk , a desk with a sloping top for writing upon; also, a case containing writing materials, and used in a similar manner. -- Writing lark (Zo\'94l.) , the European yellow-hammer; -- so called from the curious irregular lines on its eggs. [Prov. Eng.] -- Writing machine . Same as Typewriter . -- Writing master , one who teaches the art of penmanship. -- Writing obligatory (Law) , a bond. -- Writing paper , paper intended for writing upon with ink, usually finished with a smooth surface, and sized. -- Writing school , a school for instruction in penmanship. -- Writing table , a table fitted or used for writing upon.

Written <Xpage=1669>

Writ"ten (?) , p. p. of Write , v.

Wrizzle <Xpage=1669>

Wriz"zle (?) , v. t. To wrinkle. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Wroken <Xpage=1669>

Wro"ken (?) , obs. p. p. of Wreak .

Chaucer.

Wrong <Xpage=1669>

Wrong (?) , obs. imp. of Wring . Wrung.

Chaucer.

Wrong <Xpage=1669>

Wrong (?; 115) , a. [OE. wrong , wrang , a. & n., AS. wrang , n.; originally, awry, wrung, fr. wringan to wring; akin to D. wrang bitter, Dan. vrang wrong, Sw. vr\'86ng , Icel. rangr awry, wrong. See Wring .]

1. Twisted; wry; as, a wrong nose . [Obs.]

Wyclif (Lev. xxi. 19).

2. Not according to the laws of good morals, whether divine or human; not suitable to the highest and best end; not morally right; deviating from rectitude or duty; not just or equitable; not true; not legal; as, a wrong practice; wrong ideas; wrong inclinations and desires.

3. Not fit or suitable to an end or object; not appropriate for an intended use; not according to rule; unsuitable; improper; incorrect; as, to hold a book with the wrong end uppermost; to take the wrong way.

I have deceived you both; I have directed you to wrong places. Shak.

4. Not according to truth; not conforming to fact or intent; not right; mistaken; erroneous; as, a wrong statement .

5. Designed to be worn or placed inward; as, the wrong side of a garment or of a piece of cloth .

Syn. -- Injurious; unjust; faulty; detrimental; incorrect; erroneous; unfit; unsuitable.

Wrong <Xpage=1669>

Wrong , adv. In a wrong manner; not rightly; amiss; morally ill; erroneously; wrongly.

Ten censure wrong for one that writes amiss. Pope.

Wrong <Xpage=1669>

Wrong , n. [AS. wrang . See Wrong , a. ] That which is not right. Specifically: (a) Nonconformity or disobedience to lawful authority, divine or human; deviation from duty; -- the opposite of moral right .

When I had wrong and she the right. Chaucer.

One spake much of right and wrong . Milton.

(b) Deviation or departure from truth or fact; state of falsity; error; as, to be in the wrong . (c) Whatever deviates from moral rectitude; usually, an act that involves evil consequences, as one which inflicts injury on a person; any injury done to, or received from; another; a trespass; a violation of right.

Friend, I do thee no wrong . Matt. xx. 18.

As the king of England can do no wrong , so neither can he do right but in his courts and by his courts. Milton.

The obligation to redress a wrong is at least as binding as that of paying a debt. E. Evereth.

&hand; Wrongs, legally, are private or public . Private wrongs are civil injuries, immediately affecting individuals; public wrongs are crimes and misdemeanors which affect the community.

Blackstone.

<page="1670"> Page 1670

Wrong <Xpage=1670>

Wrong (?; 115) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wronged (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wronging .]

1. To treat with injustice; to deprive of some right, or to withhold some act of justice from; to do undeserved harm to; to deal unjustly with; to injure.

He that sinneth . . . wrongeth his own soul. Prov. viii. 36.

2. To impute evil to unjustly; as, if you suppose me capable of a base act, you wrong me .

I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honorable men. Shak.

Wrongdoer <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"do`er (?) , n. 1. One who injures another, or who does wrong.

2. (Law) One who commits a tort or trespass; a trespasser; a tort feasor.

Ayliffe.

Wrongdoing <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"do`ing , n. Evil or wicked behavior or action.

Wronger <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"er (?) , n. One who wrongs or injures another. Shak. " Wrongers of the world."

Tennyson.

Wrongful <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"ful (?) , a. Full of wrong; injurious; unjust; unfair; as, a wrongful taking of property; wrongful dealing. -- Wrong"ful*ly , adv. -- Wrong"ful*ness , n.

Wronghead <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"head` (?) , n. A person of a perverse understanding or obstinate character. [R.]

Wronghead <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"head` , a. Wrongheaded. [R.]

Pope.

Wrongheaded <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"head`ed , a. Wrong in opinion or principle; having a perverse understanding; perverse. -- Wrong"head`ed*ly , adv. -- Wrong"head`ed*ness , n.

Macaulay.

Wrongless <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"less , a. Not wrong; void or free from wrong. [Obs.] -- Wrong"less*ly , adv. [Obs.]

Sir P. Sidney.

Wrongly <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"ly , adv. In a wrong manner; unjustly; erroneously; wrong; amiss; as, he judges wrongly of my motives . "And yet wouldst wrongly win."

Shak.

Wrongness <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"ness , n. The quality or state of being wrong; wrongfulness; error; fault.

The best great wrongnesses within themselves. Bp. Butler.

The rightness or wrongness of this view. Latham.

Wrongous <Xpage=1670>

Wron"gous (?) , a. [Cf. OE. wrongwis . See Wrong , and cf. Righteous .]

1. Constituting, or of the nature of, a wrong; unjust; wrongful. [R.]

2. (Scots Law) Not right; illegal; as, wrongous imprisonment .

Craig.

Wrong-timed <Xpage=1670>

Wrong"-timed` (?; 115) , a. Done at an improper time; ill-timed.

Wroot <Xpage=1670>

Wroot (?) , obs. imp. of Write . Wrote.

Chaucer.

Wrote <Xpage=1670>

Wrote (?) , v. i. [OE. wroten . See 1st Root .] To root with the snout. See 1st Root . [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Wrote <Xpage=1670>

Wrote , imp. & archaic p. p. of Write .

Wroth <Xpage=1670>

Wroth (?) , a. [OE. wroth , wrap , AS. wr\'be&edh; wroth, crooked, bad; akin to wr\'c6&edh;an to writhe, and to OS. wr&emac;&edh; angry, D. wreed cruel, OHG. reid twisted, Icel. rei&edh;r angry, Dan. & Sw. vred . See Writhe , and cf. Wrath .] Full of wrath; angry; incensed; much exasperated; wrathful. " Wroth to see his kingdom fail."

Milton.

Revel and truth as in a low degree, They be full wroth [ i. e. , at enmity] all day. Chaucer.

Cain was very wroth , and his countenance fell. Gen. iv. 5.

Wrought <Xpage=1670>

Wrought (?) , imp. & p. p. of Work .

Alas that I was wrought [created]! Chaucer.

Wrought <Xpage=1670>

Wrought , a. Worked; elaborated; not rough or crude.

Wrought iron . See under Iron .

Wrung <Xpage=1670>

Wrung (?) , imp. & p. p. of Wring .

Wry <Xpage=1670>

Wry (?) , v. t. [AS. wre\'a2n .] To cover. [Obs.]

Wrie you in that mantle. Chaucer.

Wry <Xpage=1670>

Wry (?) , a. [ Compar. Wrier (?) ; superl. Wriest .] [Akin to OE. wrien to twist, to bend, AS. wrigian to tend towards, to drive.]

1. Turned to one side; twisted; distorted; as, a wry mouth .

2. Hence, deviating from the right direction; misdirected; out of place; as, wry words .

Not according to the wry rigor of our neighbors, who never take up an old idea without some extravagance in its application. Landor.

3. Wrested; perverted.

He . . . puts a wry sense upon Protestant writers. Atterbury.

Wry face , a distortion of the countenance indicating impatience, disgust, or discomfort; a grimace.

Wry <Xpage=1670>

Wry , v. i. 1. To twist; to writhe; to bend or wind.

2. To deviate from the right way; to go away or astray; to turn side; to swerve.

This Phebus gan awayward for to wryen . Chaucer.

How many Must murder wives much better than themselves For wrying but a little! Shak.

Wry <Xpage=1670>

Wry , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Wried ; p. pr. & vb. n. Wrying .] [OE. wrien . See Wry , a. ] To twist; to distort; to writhe; to wrest; to vex.

Sir P. Sidney.

Guests by hundreds, not one caring If the dear host's neck were wried . R. Browning.

Wrybill <Xpage=1670>

Wry"bill` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Crookbill .

Wrymouth <Xpage=1670>

Wry"mouth` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several species of large, elongated, marine fishes of the genus Cryptacanthodes , especially C. maculatus of the American coast. A whitish variety is called ghostfish .

Wryneck <Xpage=1670>

Wry"neck (?) , n. (Med.)

1. A twisted or distorted neck; a deformity in which the neck is drawn to one side by a rigid contraction of one of the muscles of the neck; torticollis.

2. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several species of Old World birds of the genus Jynx , allied to the woodpeckers; especially, the common European species ( J. torguilla ); -- so called from its habit of turning the neck around in different directions. Called also cuckoo's mate , snakebird , summer bird , tonguebird , and writheneck .

Wrynecked <Xpage=1670>

Wry"necked` (?) , a. Having a distorted neck; having the deformity called wryneck .

Wryness <Xpage=1670>

Wry"ness , n. The quality or state of being wry, or distorted.

W. Montagu.