Definition of the word write down

The phrase "write down" has its origins in Anglo-Saxon times, when the language was called Old English. Its earliest recorded use can be traced back to the 10th century, in a manuscript known as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. In Old English, the equivalent of "write down" was written as "writan under," which literally translates to "write under." This expression referred to the act of writing something down while marking it with a vertical line, called a "subscriptus," which was placed under the first letter of the word. This vertical line was used to emphasize the importance or significance of the word, and to ensure that it was not forgotten or overlooked. By the time of the Middle English period, around the 13th century, the use of the subscriptus had become less common, and the phrase "write under" had evolved into simply "write downe." The spelling "write down" became more common during the Early Modern English period, in the 16th and 17th centuries, as the English language began to standardize and simplify its grammar and vocabulary. Today, "write down" is a widely used idiom that refers to the act of recording information in written form, often as a means of remembering it or communicating it to others.