scritto

Scritto is the past participle of the Italian verb scrivere, meaning to write. In Italian, it is widely used to form compound tenses with avere or parlare of a completed action (ho scritto, hai scritto, ha scritto) and to form the passive with essere (è scritto; sono stati scritti). The form agrees with gender and number when used as an adjective, as in una lettera scritta or due manoscritti scritti.

Etymology and forms: Scritto derives from Latin scriptus, the past participle of scribere. It is irregular in its participle form, unlike many -ere verbs. The feminine singular is scritta; the masculine plural is scritti and the feminine plural is scritte. As an adjective, it can describe a noun that has been written or produced in written form, such as testo scritto or legge scritta, and it is used in phrases like scritto a mano to indicate handwritten text.

Usage as a noun: In addition to its adjectival use, lo scritto can function as a noun meaning a written text or document, or more generally the writings themselves. In legal or administrative contexts, lo scritto may refer to a written statement or document submitted for the record. The noun sense tends to emphasize form or content that is in writing rather than spoken.

Related terms and notes: Scritto is closely related to scrittura (writing) and scrittore (writer). Its meaning and form are distinct from but related to other Romance cognates such as escrito in Spanish and écrit in French. In everyday Italian, the word appears in many idiomatic constructions, including descriptions of documents, letters, manuscripts, and style in prose.