rescript

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 18, 2008 is: rescript • \REE-skript\ • noun 1 : a written answer of a Roman emperor or of a pope to a legal inquiry or petition 2 : an official or authoritative order, decree, edict, or announcement 3 : an act or instance of rewriting Examples: The committee agreed on a rescript of the rules. Did you know? "Rescript" was first used in the 15th century for the written reply of a sovereign or pope to a question about some matter of law or state, and then for any type of authoritative declaration. These days, however, people are more likely to use it as a synonym of "rewrite," a use that began in the 19th century. Charlotte Brontë, for one, used it in her novel Villette. "I wrote [the letter] three times . . . subduing the phrases at every rescript," her narrator confesses. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.