Etymograph

English

indite

Indite comes from Late Latin indictāre, and goes back to Latin dictō ‘to declare’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdictō1as dictare‘to declare’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEindictāre1
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400enditer1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enditen1
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595indite1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English indite
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, London: […] Thomas Creede: “She vvill endite him to ſome ſupper.”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdictōWiktionary, English inditeas dictare‘to declare’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEindictāreWiktionary, English indite
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400enditerWiktionary, English indite
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500enditenWiktionary, English indite
  5. Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595inditeWiktionary, English indite. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, London: […] Thomas Creede: “She vvill endite him to ſome ſupper.”

Linked words

through Latin dictō ‘to declare’

dictator, dictate, ditty, 6 more

through Late Latin indictāre

indictment

through Middle English enditen

indict

Today it means

verb To physically make (letters and words) on a writing surface; to inscribe.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “indite”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin dictō / indite

Shirt and support for this word