Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WRIT-ING, n.

1. The act or art of forming letters and characters on paper, wood, stone, or other material, for the purpose of recording the ideas which characters and words express, or of communicating them to others by visible signs. We hardly know which to admire most, the ingenuity or the utility of the art of writing.
2. Any thing written or expressed in letters; hence, any legal instrument, as a deed, a receipt, a bond, an agreement, &c.
3. A book; any written composition; a pamphlet; as, the writings of Addison.
4. An inscription. – John xix.
5. Writings, plur. conveyances of lands; deeds; or any official papers.