replied

Replied is the past tense and past participle of the verb reply. It denotes responding to a question, statement, request, or message. The sense can be transitive, as in "She replied to the invitation," or followed by a clause, as in "He replied that he could not attend." It can also describe a response produced by a system or device, for example, "The computer replied with an error code."

Usage notes include that replied is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to indicate a direct answer. It often appears in reported speech or in descriptions of correspondence and dialogue. In contrast to respond, which can be broader and less direct, reply typically implies a specific, direct answer to a defined communication.

Grammatically, replied is one form of the verb reply. Related forms include reply (base form and noun), replies (third-person singular present), and replying (present participle). The pattern is regular for English past tense verbs, with -ed added to form the past tense and past participle.

Etymology traces the word to Middle English, borrowed from Old French, with roots in the broader Latin-derived Romance language family. The development of reply and its past forms reflects common English verb-formation patterns.

In contemporary use, reply is common in written and spoken language, including emails, letters, forums, and casual conversation. Phrases often seen include "replied to," "replied that," and "replied with."