English
scripture
Scripture comes from Latin scrīptūra ‘a writing, scripture’, from scrībō ‘to write’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kréybʰeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skreiβō1‘to carve’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrībō1‘to write’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrīptūra1‘a writing, scripture’supine of scrībō
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scripture1
- Englishearliest quotation 1732scripture1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English scripture
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1732, George Reynolds, A diſſertation: or: “In a word, they were made uſe of by…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kréybʰetiWiktionary, English scripturereconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skreiβōWiktionary, English scripture‘to carve’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrībōWiktionary, English scripture‘to write’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrīptūraWiktionary, English scripture‘a writing, scripture’supine of scrībō
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scriptureWiktionary, English scripture
- Englishearliest quotation 1732scriptureWiktionary, English scripture. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1732, George Reynolds, A diſſertation: or: “In a word, they were made uſe of by…”
A compound of *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’ + *(s)kreybʰ- ‘to scratch, to tear’
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreybʰ- ‘to scratch, to tear’
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *skreiβō ‘to carve’
transcription, shriver, transcribe, ascribe, inscribe, 28 more
through Latin scrībō ‘to write’
description, prescription, transcript, inscription, prescribe, scribe, conscription, scribble, shrift, nondescript, scrivener, conscript, descript, 31 more
Today it means
noun A sacred writing or holy book.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “scripture”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti / scripture