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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
(Writ"er*ship) n. The office of a writer.
Writhe
(Writhe) v. t. [imp. Writhed ; p. p. Writhed, Obs. or Poetic Writhen ; p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing.]
[OE. writhen, AS. wrian to twist; akin to OHG. ridan, Icel. ria, 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.]
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
(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
(Writh"en) a. Having a twisted distorted from.
A writhen staff his step unstable guides. Fairfax. Writhle
(Wri"thle) v. t. [Freq. of writhe.] To wrinkle. [Obs.] Shak.
Writing
(Writ"ing) n.
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