writ

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

writ, 3d pers. sing. pres. 

 3d pers. sing. pres. of Write, for writeth.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

writ, imp. & p. p. 

 imp. & p. p. of Write.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]

writ, n. [AS. writ, gewrit. See Write.].

•  That which is written; writing; scripture; -- applied especially to the Scriptures, or the books of the Old and New testaments; as, sacred writ.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

  "Then to his hands that writ he did betake,
  Which he disclosing read, thus as the paper spake."  [1913 Webster]

  "Babylon, so much spoken of in Holy Writ."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  " 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 formulæ having always been expressed in writing, being, in this respect, distinguished from the other proceedings in the ancient action, which were conducted orally."  [1913 Webster]

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

OXFORD DICTIONARY

writ, n.
1 a form of written command in the name of a sovereign, court, State, etc., to act or abstain from acting in some way.
2 a Crown document summoning a peer to Parliament or ordering the election of a member or members of Parliament.

Idiom

serve a writ on deliver a writ to (a person). one's writ runs one has authority (as specified).

writ, archaic past part. of WRITE.

Idiom

writ large in magnified or emphasized form.

THESAURUS

writ

bench warrant, blank, capias, caveat, chirograph, death warrant, docket, document, dossier, fieri facias, file, form, habere facias possessionem, holograph, injunction, instrument, interdict, legal document, legal instrument, legal paper, mandamus, mandate, mandatory injunction, mittimus, nisi prius, notice, notification, official document, paper, papers, parchment, personal file, precept, process, prohibitory injunction, roll, scrip, script, scroll, search warrant, subpoena, summons, warrant, warrant of arrest, warrant of attorney, writing

ROGET THESAURUS

writ

Command

N command, order, ordinance, act, fiat, hukm, bidding, dictum, hest, behest, call, beck, nod, despatch, dispatch, message, direction, injunction, charge, instructions, appointment, fixture, demand, exaction, imposition, requisition, claim, reclamation, revendication, ultimatum, request, requirement, dictation, dictate, mandate, caveat, decree, senatus consultum, precept, prescript, rescript, writ, ordination, bull, ex cathedra pronouncement, edict, decretal, dispensation, prescription, brevet, placit, ukase, ukaz, firman, hatti- sherif, warrant, passport, mittimus, mandamus, summons, subpoena, nisi prius, interpellation, citation, word, word of command, mot d'ordre, bugle call, trumpet call, beat of drum, tattoo, order of the day, enactment, plebiscite, commanding, authoritative, decretory, decretive, decretal, callable, jussive, in a commanding tone, by a stroke of the pen, by a dash of the pen, by order, at beat of drum, on the first summons, the decree is gone forth, sic volo sic jubeo, le Roi le veut, boutez en avant.

Lawsuit

N lawsuit, suit, action, cause, litigation, suit in law, dispute, citation, arraignment, prosecution, impeachment, accusation, presentment, true bill, indictment, apprehension, arrest, committal, imprisonment, writ, summons, subpoena, latitat, nisi prius, venire, venire facias pleadings, declaration, bill, claim, proces verbal, bill of right, information, corpus delicti, affidavit, state of facts, answer, reply, replication, plea, demurrer, rebutter, rejoinder, surrebutter, surrejoinder, suitor, party to a suit, plaintiff, defendant, litigant, hearing, trial, verdict, appeal, appeal motion, writ of error, certiorari, case, decision, precedent, decided case, reports (legal reference works, see reference books), litigious, qui tam, coram judice, sub judice, pendente lite, adhuc sub judice lis est, accedas ad curiam, transeat in exemplum.