Middle English; earliest use found in Ancrene Riwle. From Anglo-Norman discriv-, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French descriv-, stem (e.g. in present plural and present subjunctive) of Anglo-Norman descrier, discrire, also descrivere, descriver, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French descrire, also descrivre (French décrire) to set out in writing, to describe, give a description of, to recount, (reflexive) to enumerate, enter in a register, (reflexive) to explain, to reveal, expose, make visible, to write, compose, to inscribe, to trace a curved line from classical Latin dēscrībere.