indite

tr.v., -dit·ed, -dit·ing, -dites.

1. To write; compose.
2. To set down in writing.
3. Obsolete. To dictate.

[Middle English enditen, from Old French enditer, from Vulgar Latin *indictāre : Latin in-, toward; see in-² + Latin dictāre, to compose, to say habitually, frequentative of dīcere, to say.]

inditement in·dite'ment n.
inditer in·dit'er n.

(in-DYT)

verb tr.
To write or to compose.

Etymology
From Middle English enditen, from Old French enditer, from Vulgar Latin indictare (to compose), from Latin indicere (to proclaim), from in- + dicere (to say)

Google for the term "was indited" and a few hundred citations show up where the writer clearly meant to use the word "indict". While that usage is incorrect, etymologically speaking, those writers are not too far off the mark. When someone is indicted, he literally has charges written against him. The word "indict" is simply a spelling variant of "indite" that acquired a distinct sense over time. Other words that derive from the same Latin root dicere (to say) are: dictionary, dictum, ditto, ditty, benediction, contradict, valediction, predict, verdict, and their many cousins.

Usage
"The things he writes or I indite, we praise-- For poets, after all, are lonely men Singing a bit to themselves, but more to each other-- Hoping that fellow there will recognize A bit of himself in this pale groping brother." — Alfred Kreymborg; The Lost Sail: A Cape Cod Diary; Coward-McCann, Inc.; 1928. Full-text on Questia at http://www.questia.com/CM.qst?D=wotdindite "In 1844, Sir Charles Napier, governor of Sind, was writing from Kurrachee, as he spelled it, urging his officials to indite their papers in English, larded with as small a portion of to him unknown tongues as they conveniently can, instead of those he generally receives-namely Hindostanee larded with occasional words in English." — A Plain Man's Appeal For Finds, The Economist (London); Nov 29, 1997.

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verb

1. To form letters, characters, or words on a surface with an instrument: engross, inscribe, scribe, write. See remember/forget.
2. To form by artistic effort: compose, create, produce, write. See make/unmake.

[fr. ME enditen] (also endite)
a) make up, compose  (indite a poem)
b) to give literary or formal expression to
c) to put down in writing  (indite a message)
(a and b give more thought to the wording than the actual writing)

IN BRIEF: Make up, compose.

Wounded I sing, tormented I indite. — Victor Herbert (1859-1924),U.S. musician, composer, and conductor.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forfatte, skrive

Nederlands (Dutch)
op schrift stellen (toespraak), componeren, brief schrijven

Français (French)
v. tr. - composer/écrire (un poème), dicter (arch), prescrire (arch)

Deutsch (German)
v. - in Worte fassen, schreiben

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - συντάσσω, διατυπώνω γραπτά

Italiano (Italian)
redigere

Português (Portuguese)
v. - compor

Русский (Russian)
сочинять, приглашать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - redactar, componer, escribir, poner por escrito

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - avfatta, författa (äv. skämts.), skriva

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
写成文章, 创作

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 寫成文章, 創作

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - (시, 글 등을) 쓰다, 짓다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 作る, 書く, 文字にする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) ينظم قصيدة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮כתב (נאום, מכתב וכו'), חיבר‬

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