Scribe comes from Latin 'scriba' ('official writer'), from 'scribere' ('to write'), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kribh- ('to cut, scratch, incise'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun and verb, it denotes "a person who copies documents, especially before printing", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Latin scriba, Latin scribere, and Proto-Indo-European *(s)kribh-. Derivative forms include scribal, scriber; related words include scribble, describe, inscribe, scripture, script.