wrijten

From Middle Dutch writen, from Old Dutch *wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrītan, from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną.

This verb originally meant 'to scratch, carve'. In West Germanic languages, its meaning started to diversify following the different dialects. While Old English and Old Saxon kept the meaning of 'carve', which then evolved into 'write', Old Dutch, Old Frisian and Old High German kept the meaning 'to scratch', and then developed it further. In Middle Dutch, the verb meant 'to turn, shave, plane' (of wood, as performed by turners), which evolved into its modern Dutch meaning, 'to argue, quarrel, have a split, strike'. In Dutch, it is no longer current.

The verb should not be confused with rijten (“to rip, to tear”), which ultimately comes from Proto-Germanic *hrītaną. In German, the verbs descended from *hrītaną and *wrītaną merged into one: reißen.

• IPA^(key): /ˈvrɛi̯tə(n)/, /ˈʋrɛi̯tə(n)/
• Rhymes: -ɛi̯tən

wrijten

1. (rare) to argue, quarrel