scrivener

What it means

1. A professional writer; one whose occupation is to draw contracts or prepare writings.

   Below this, sat two scrivener monks at two little desks, on which were scrolls of parchment and ink-horns and goose-quill pens.

   1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 40

   3 more examples

   Scrivener (enters with a paper in hand):Here is the indictment of the good Lord Hastings, Which in a set hand fairly is engrossed That is may be today read o'er in Paul's. And mark how well the sequel hangs together: Eleven hours I have spent to write it over[…]

   c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi]

   The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners.

   1853, Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, in The Piazza Tales, New York: Dix, Edwards & Co, published 1856

   ハイ そうですね ではご売却のご契約に関する細かいご説明はご帰国の際に司法書士を交えて…ハイ

   2016 [2010], Akiko Higashimura, chapter 34, in Sarah Alys Lindholm, transl., Princess Jellyfish, omnibus vol. 3, Kodansha Comics, translation of 海月姫 [Kuragehime], →ISBN, page 318

   Synonyms: amanuensis, scribe, tabellion

2. obsoleteOne whose business is to place money at interest; a broker.

In a sentence

Scrivener (enters with a paper in hand):Here is the indictment of the good Lord Hastings, Which in a set hand fairly is engrossed That is may be today read o'er in Paul's. And mark how well the sequel hangs together: Eleven hours I have spent to write it over[…]

c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi]

Where it comes from

1. Latinscriba
2. Vulgar Latin*scriba, *scribanem
3. Old Frenchescrivain
4. Anglo-Normanscrivein“professional penman, copyist”
5. Middle Englishscryvener
6. Englishscrivener

From Middle English scryvener, alteration of scryveyn, from Anglo-Norman scrivein (“professional penman, copyist”), from Old French escrivain, from Vulgar Latin *scriba, *scribanem, from Latin scriba, from scrībō (“to write”).