Meanings
scrivener1
plural scriveners
- 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 403 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 318Synonyms: amanuensis, scribe, tabellion
Scrivener2
- A surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA professional writer; one whose occupation is to draw contracts or prepare writings.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinscriba
- Vulgar Latin*scriba, *scribanem
- Old Frenchescrivain
- Anglo-Normanscrivein“professional penman, copyist”
- Middle Englishscryvener
- 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”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian писар
- писар (pisar)professional writer
Catalan escrivà
- escrivàprofessional writer
Dutch schrijver
- schrijverprofessional writer
Esperanto skribisto
- skribistoprofessional writer
French scribe, écrivain public
- scribeprofessional writer
- écrivain publicprofessional writer
German Schreiber
- Schreiberprofessional writer
Italian scrivano
- scrivanoprofessional writer
Latin tabelliō
- tabelliōprofessional writer
Norwegian Bokmål skriver
- skriverprofessional writer
Polish skryba
- skrybaprofessional writer
Portuguese escrivão, escriba
- escrivãoprofessional writer
- escribaprofessional writer
Russian писе́ц, пи́сарь
- писе́ц (piséc)professional writer
- пи́сарь (písarʹ)professional writer
Spanish escribano, escribana
- escribanoprofessional writer
- escribanaprofessional writer
- escribienteprofessional writer
Turkish arzuhâlci
- arzuhâlciprofessional writer
Cite this entry
scrivener. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scrivener
“scrivener.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scrivener. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scrivener,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scrivener.
Source: scrivener on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.