A person who writes plays or scripts for theatrical performances.
From 'play' (Old English 'plega,' amusement) + 'wright' (Old English 'wryhta,' maker or builder). A 'wright' is someone who makes or constructs things, like a shipwright makes ships.
The word 'playwright' is spelled with a 'w' instead of just 'right' because 'wright' is an old English word meaning 'maker'—so Shakespeare was a 'maker of plays,' not a 'writer of plays'!
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