write (r t)v. wrote (r  t), writ·ten (r t n) also writ (rt), writ·ing, writes v.tr. 1. a. To form (letters, words, or symbols) on a surface such as paper with an instrument such as a pen. b. To spell: How do you write your name? 2. To form (letters or words) in cursive style. 3. To compose and set down, especially in literary or musical form: write a poem; write a prelude. 4. To draw up in legal form; draft: write a will. 5. To fill in or cover with writing: write a check; wrote five pages in an hour. 6. To express in writing; set down: write one's thoughts. 7. To communicate by correspondence: wrote that she was planning to visit. 8. To underwrite, as an insurance policy. 9. To indicate; mark: "Utter dejection was written on every face" (Winston S. Churchill). 10. To ordain or prophesy: It was written that the empire would fall. 11. Computer Science To transfer or copy (information) from memory to a storage device or output device. v.intr. Phrasal Verbs: 1. To trace or form letters, words, or symbols on paper or another surface. 2. To produce written material, such as articles or books. 3. To compose a letter; communicate by mail. write down 1. To set down in writing. 2. To reduce in rank, value, or price. 3. To disparage in writing. 4. To write in a conspicuously simple or condescending style: felt he had to write down to his students. write in 1. To cast a vote by inserting (a name not listed on a ballot). 2. To insert in a text or document: wrote in an apology at the end of the note. 3. To communicate with an organization by mail: write in with a completed entry form. write off 1. To reduce to zero the book value of (an asset that has become worthless). 2. To cancel from accounts as a loss. 3. To consider as a loss or failure: wrote off the rainy first day of the vacation. write out 1. To express or compose in writing: write out a request. 2. To write in full or expanded form: All abbreviations are to be written out. write up Idioms: 1. To write a report or description of, as for publication. 2. To bring (a journal, for example) up to date. 3. To overstate the value of (assets). 4. To report (someone) in writing, as for breaking the law. wrote him up for speeding. write (one's) own ticket To set one's own terms or course of action entirely according to one's own needs or wishes: an open-ended and generous scholarship that lets recipients write their own ticket. writ large Signified, expressed, or embodied in a greater or more prominent magnitude or degree: "The man was no more than the boy writ large" (George Eliot). [Middle English writen, from Old English wr tan.]Word History: Every western Indo-European language except English derives its verb for "to write" from Latin scr bere: écrire in French, escribir in Spanish, scrivere in Italian, scribaim in Old Irish, ysgrifennu in Welsh, skriva in Breton, skrifa in Old Norse, skrive in Danish and Norwegian, skriva in Swedish, schreiben in German, schrijven in Dutch. The Old English verb "to write" is wrtan, from a Germanic root *writ- that derives from an Indo-European root *wreid- meaning "to cut, scratch, tear, sketch an outline." German still retains this meaning in its cognate verb reissen, "to tear." Only Old English employed wrtan to refer to writing, that is, scratching on parchment with a pen. English shows a similar contrariness in its verb read, being almost the only western European language not to derive its verb for that concept from Latin legere. |
write down
vb (adverb)
1. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (tr) to set down in writing
2. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) (tr) to harm or belittle by writing about (a person) in derogatory terms
3. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) (intr; foll by to or for) to write in a simplified way (to a supposedly less cultured readership)
4. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Accounting & Book-keeping) (tr) Accounting to decrease the book value of (an asset)
n write-down
(Economics, Accounting & Finance / Accounting & Book-keeping) Accounting a reduction made in the book value of an asset
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. | write down - put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc. write - communicate or express by writing; "Please write to me every week" transcribe - write out from speech, notes, etc.; "Transcribe the oral history of this tribe" notate - put into notation, as of music or choreography; "Nowadays, you can notate an entire ballet; in the old days, the steps had to be memorized" |
| 2. | write down - reduce the estimated value of something; "For tax purposes you can write off the laser printer" depreciate - lower the value of something; "The Fed depreciated the dollar once again" |
Translations
write down
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