n. & v.
--n.
1. a person who writes out documents, esp. an ancient or medieval copyist of manuscripts.
2 Bibl. an ancient Jewish record-keeper or professional theologian and jurist.
3 (in full scribe-awl) a pointed instrument for making marks on wood, bricks, etc., to guide a saw, or in sign-writing.
4 US colloq. a writer, esp. a journalist.
--v.tr. mark (wood etc.) with a scribe (see sense 3 of n.).
Derivatives:
scribal adj. scriber n.
Etymology: (n.) ME f. L scriba f. scribere write: (v.) perh. f. DESCRIBE