escriba
/esˈkɾiba/masculine
The Spanish word for scribe is escriba. Wiktionary also lists escribiente.
Meaning: one who writes, a draughtsman (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| escriba | /esˈkɾiba/ | masculine |
| escribiente | /eskɾiˈbjente/ | feminine, masculine |
escriba refers to a person who writes, specifically a scribe, often in a historical or professional context. This is related to the verb escribir, which means to write and grabar, which means to record.
Which one should you use?
escriba is used specifically for a scribe, whereas escribiente is a more general term used for a clerk or someone who is currently writing.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of escriba is escribas. While escriba is a masculine noun, escribiente can be used as both a masculine and feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˈkɾiba/
Did you know?
- The word escriba is an example of a noun that looks feminine because it ends in a but is primarily used as a masculine noun.
- The verb form escriba is also the present subjunctive form of escribir, meaning 'that he or she may write'.
- In a religious context, escriba often refers specifically to the Jewish scribes of the Bible who were experts in the law.
Examples in context
- Así como las inscripciones en la Piedra de Rosetta apuntan a la actividad de un antiguo escriba y un programa de computadora apunta a un programador, he argumentado que el código digital descubierto dentro de la molécula de ADN sugiere la actividad de una mente planificadora en el origen de la vida.Just as the inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone point to the activity of an ancient scribe and a computer program points to a programmer, I have argued that the digital code discovered within the DNA molecule suggests the activity of a designing mind at the origin of life.This sentence is useful for seeing how escriba is used when referring to an ancient scribe.Tatoeba #10530830 by carlosalberto, translation #10530828 by carlosalberto
- El escriba registra los documentos legales de la empresa.The scribe records the legal documents of the company.
- El secretario redacta las actas de las reuniones.The secretary drafts the meeting minutes.
- Mi amigo es un copista y transcribe partituras de música clásica.My friend is a scribe and transcribes classical music scores.
- El amenuense del juzgado redacta las sentencias.The scribe at the courthouse drafts the judgments.
- El escriba registró la historia del rey.The scribe recorded the king's history.
- Un escriba preparaba los documentos reales.A scribe was preparing the royal documents.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are visiting a museum of ancient Egypt.
- DanielMira este dibujo de un escriba egipcio.Look at this drawing of an Egyptian scribe.
- SofíaEs increíble cómo escribía en el papiro.It's incredible how he wrote on the papyrus.
- DanielEl escriba tenía un trabajo muy importante.The scribe had a very important job.
- SofíaSí, ellos guardaban toda la historia.Yes, they kept all the history.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scribe” translations and entries escriba, escribiente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
