(a) A carpenter; also, a builder, an architect; also fig.; (b) a workman; (c) a craftsman; (d) one who fashions an object, an artificer; also used of God; (e) pl. the guild of wrights.

In cpds., combs., and related phrases: (a) eldest wurhtena, maister ~, prince of wrightes, a chief carpenter; a builder, an architect; (b) ~ axe, a carpenter’s ax; ~ craft, carpentry; ~ garth, ?a carpenter’s yard; ~ hous, ?a carpenter’s workshop; (c) bot ~, a builder of boats or ships; cart ~, one who makes or repairs carts; castel ~, one who builds or repairs a ship’s castle; felt ~, one who makes or works with felt; glas ~, one who makes or works with glass; glasen ~, a glazier; milne ~, a designer or maker of mills; plough ~ [see plough-wrighte n.(a)]; ship ~ [OE scip-wyrhta], a shipbuilder, shipwright; quarter-maister ship ~, a subordinate shipwright; timber ~, a carpenter; whele ~, q.v.

(a) Fig. One who causes something to exist or labors on something, an author, originator, a maintainer; dethes ~, the author of death, the devil; (b) with ref. to God or Christ: the creator, maker; (c) one who works with or makes something;—used in cpds. and combs.: bataille ~, a warrior; bred ~, a baker; gospel ~, one of the four Evangelists; latin ~, one skilled in Latin, a Latinist; leth ~ [OE lēoþ-wyrhta], a professional poet, a maker or reciter of poetry; ?medes ~, ?a brewer of mead; psalm-wright, q.v.

(a) In surnames; coule ~, dethe ~, q.v.; plough ~ [see plough-wrighte n. (b)]; (b) in place and street names [see Smith PNElem. 2.282].