Handwrite

/ˌhændˈɹaɪt/ verb

Definition

To write something using a pen or pencil held in your hand rather than typing or printing it.

Etymology

Compound of 'hand' (Old English 'hand') and 'write' (Old English 'writan'), formed deliberately in the typewriter era (late 1800s) to distinguish manual from mechanical writing.

Kelly Says

Handwrite was invented as a word almost overnight when typewriters became common—before that, 'writing' was always manual, so specifying 'hand-writing' would have been redundant, like saying 'talk-speaking' today.

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