Writ is generally used in its legal meaning to describe the written orders of a court of law. Many kinds of orders have specific names. For instance, if a court orders the sheriff to seize property which has been wrongfully taken, it gives the sheriff a writ of replevin. A writ of habeas corpus is designed to protect people taken into custody unlawfully. A writ of error is an order to a court to send records of a proceeding to a superior or appellate court, so that the judgment may be examined for errors of law. Early English-speaking people called anything in writing a writ. Even today, some people call the Bible the Holy Writ.
