writ
A written order, issued by a court, ordering someone to do (or stop doing) something.
Other meanings
Authority, power to enforce compliance.
A document ordering that an election be conducted.
Synonyms
- judicial writ
Word history
From Old English "writ".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “writ” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.