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writ

   Also found in: Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
writ 1  (rt)
n.
1. Law A written order issued by a court, commanding the party to whom it is addressed to perform or cease performing a specified act.
2. Writings: holy writ.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

writ
Noun
a formal legal document ordering a person to do or not to do something [Old English]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.writwrit - (law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
legal document, legal instrument, official document, instrument - (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right
court order - a writ issued by a court of law requiring a person to do something or to refrain from doing something
warrant - a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts
assize - an ancient writ issued by a court of assize to the sheriff for the recovery of property
certiorari, writ of certiorari - a common law writ issued by a superior court to one of inferior jurisdiction demanding the record of a particular case
habeas corpus, writ of habeas corpus - a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge
venire facias - a judicial writ ordering a sheriff to summon people for jury duty
mandamus, writ of mandamus - an extraordinary writ commanding an official to perform a ministerial act that the law recognizes as an absolute duty and not a matter for the official's discretion; used only when all other judicial remedies fail
attachment - a writ authorizing the seizure of property that may be needed for the payment of a judgment in a judicial proceeding
fieri facias - a writ ordering a levy on the belongings of a debtor to satisfy the debt
scire facias - a judicial writ based on some record and requiring the party against whom it is brought to show cause why the record should not be enforced or annulled
sequestration - a writ that authorizes the seizure of property
writ of detinue - a writ ordering the release of goods that have been unlawfully detained
writ of election - a writ ordering the holding of an election
writ of error - a judicial writ from an appellate court ordering the court of record to produce the records of trial
writ of prohibition - a judicial writ from a higher court ordering a lower court not to exercise jurisdiction in a particular case
writ of right - a writ ordering that land be restored to its rightful owner
process, summons - a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant
subpoena, subpoena ad testificandum - a writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court
subpoena duces tecum - a writ issued by a court at the request of one of the parties to a suit; it requires a witness to bring to court or to a deposition any relevant documents under the witness's control
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

writ
Translations
Spanish writ [rɪt] nmandato judicial;
to serve a writ on sb → notificar un mandato judicial a algn

French writ [rɪt] nacte m judiciaire;
to issue a writ against sb, to serve a writ on sb → assigner qn en justice

German writ [rɪt] n (Law) → (gerichtliche) Verfügung f;
to issue a writ against sb, serve a writ on sb → eine Verfügung gegen jdn erlassen

Italian writ [rɪt] nordine m; mandato;
to issue a writ against sb, serve a writ on sb → notificare un mandato di comparizione a qn

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
For answer Sylvia hummed the first verse of that famous song writ by Kit Marlowe.
And then Chance carried a little leather ball beneath the window where the old man stood; and as the child ran, laughing, to recover it, De Vac's eyes fell upon him, and his former plan for revenge melted as the fog before the noonday sun; and in its stead there opened to him the whole hideous plot of fearsome vengeance as clearly as it were writ upon the leaves of a great book that had been thrown wide before him.
For as this is the liquor of modern historians, nay, perhaps their muse, if we may believe the opinion of Butler, who attributes inspiration to ale, it ought likewise to be the potation of their readers, since every book ought to be read with the same spirit and in the same manner as it is writ.
 
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