screeve
1 of 3intransitive verb
ˈskrēv
dialectal, British
: to exude moisture : ooze, leak
screeve
2 of 3noun
"
plural -s
chiefly British
: a piece of writing
especially : a begging letter
screeve
3 of 3verb
"
-ed/-ing/-s
transitive verb
chiefly British : to write (as a letter) in order to beg
intransitive verb
chiefly British : to draw pictures on a sidewalk in order to attract passersby and obtain charity
Word History
Etymology
Intransitive verb
Middle English scryven, from Middle French escrever (3d singular present, escrive, escrieve), literally, to burst open, from Old French, from es- (from Latin ex-) + crever to burst, from Latin crepare to crack
Noun
probably from Italian scrivere to write, from Latin scribere
Verb
probably from Italian scrivere to write