scribe

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a member of a learned class in ancient Israel through New Testament times studying the Scriptures and serving as copyists, editors, teachers, and jurists
2
a
: an official or public secretary or clerk
b
: a copier of manuscripts
3
: writer
specifically : journalist

scribe

2 of 4

verb (1)

scribed; scribing

intransitive verb

: to work as a scribe : write

scribe

3 of 4

verb (2)

scribed; scribing

transitive verb

1
: to mark a line on by cutting or scratching with a pointed instrument
2
: to make by cutting or scratching

scribe

4 of 4

noun (2)

Examples of scribe in a Sentence

Noun (1) variations between the different manuscripts attest to the fallibility of the scribes who transmitted them the scribe keeps the minutes of the club's meetings a book of dusty poems by some now-forgotten scribe Verb (2) carefully scribed two lines into the wood
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Wolters Kluwer Health announced this week that the company is integrating its medical database UpToDate with Suki’s AI scribing tool and the health-care agent service in Microsoft Copilot Studio. Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2025 Driving the news: At the conference, scribe giant Abridge announced a $250 million Series D — co-led by Elad Gil and IVP — at a reported valuation of $2.75 billion. Aaron Weitzman, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
Actor turned scribe Tim Federle will pen the musical's book. Dave Quinn, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025 Final Thoughts Selecting the best AI medical scribe involves more than picking the most recognizable brand name. Fernando Cowan, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scribe

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Latin scriba official writer, from scribere to write; akin to Greek skariphasthai to scratch an outline

Verb (2)

probably short for describe

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1651, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1812, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scribe was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scribe. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

scribe

1 of 2 noun
1
: a scholar of the Jewish law in New Testament times
2
a
: a public secretary or clerk
b
: a person who copies manuscripts

scribe

2 of 2 verb
scribed; scribing
: to mark or make by cutting or scratching with a pointed instrument
Etymology

Noun

Middle English scribe "one of a class of scholars and copiers of the Scriptures in ancient Israel," from Latin scriba "official writer," from scribere "to write" — related to circumscribe, description, scribble, scripture, shrove tuesday

Biographical Definition

Scribe

biographical name

(Augustin-) Eugène 1791–1861 French dramatist

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