Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To make a full written or typewritten copy of (dictated material, for example).
  • transitive verb Computers To transfer (information) from one recording and storing system to another.
  • transitive verb To adapt or arrange (a composition) for a voice or instrument other than the original.
  • transitive verb To translate (a composition) from one notational system to another.
  • transitive verb To reduce (live or recorded music) to notation.
  • transitive verb To record, usually on tape, for broadcast at a later date.
  • transitive verb Linguistics To represent (speech sounds) by phonetic symbols.
  • transitive verb To translate or transliterate.
  • transitive verb Biology To cause (DNA) to undergo transcription.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To copy out in writing: as, to transcribe the text of a document; to transcribe a letter.
  • In music, to arrange (a composition) for performance by a different voice or instrument from that for which it was originally written.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To write over again, or in the same words; to copy

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To convert a representation of language, typically speech but also sign language, etc., to another representation. The term now usually implies the conversion of speech to text by a human transcriptionist with the assistance of a computer for word processing and sometimes also for speech recognition, the process of a computer interpreting speech and converting it to text.
  • verb To make such a conversion from live or recorded speech to text.
  • verb computing To transfer data from one recording media to another.
  • verb music To adapt a composition for a voice or instrument other than the original; to notate live or recorded music.
  • verb biochemistry To cause DNA to undergo transcription.
  • verb linguistics To represent speech by phonetic symbols.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb rewrite in a different script
  • verb convert the genetic information in (a strand of DNA) into a strand of RNA, especially messenger RNA
  • verb rewrite or arrange a piece of music for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended
  • verb make a phonetic transcription of
  • verb write out from speech, notes, etc.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin trānscrībere : trāns-, trans- + scrībere, to write; see skrībh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin trānscrībō ("to write again in another place, transcribe, copy"), from trans ("over") + scrībō ("to write"); see scribe.

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Examples

  • As you want news I will now transcribe from a slate where I have kept memorandums, such occurrences as this poor L — y dead place affords.

    Letter 305 2009

  • With respect to her inability to transcribe the Latin words until these had been spelled for her, she explained that she was not at all familiar with Latin. [

    Preliminary Report of the Commission Appointed by the University of Pennsylvania to Investigate Modern Spiritualism In Accordance with the Request of the Late Henry Seybert The Seybert Commission

  • I love writing on other mediums because it forces me to transcribe, which is a great way to line edit while not only line editing.

    back N A 2008

  • Protein synthesis is the result of a complex cellular process known as transcribe a single stranded copy of itself known as messenger RNA (mRNA).

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] Ashcraft 2010

  • The word meaning "transcribe," that is found in the superscription to the second large collection (25-29), is peculiar to the late Hebrew, and implies that this superscription, like those of the

    The Makers and Teachers of Judaism Charles Foster Kent 1896

  • NEED: We are looking for a technology that can "transcribe" audio files to text.

    Techmamas 2009

  • This is the first test I've notice that Jott does take a wild transcribe which is probably the only annoyance but hey, it's free and we'll see if this can actually work.

    My Quiet Life 2008

  • This is the first test I've notice that Jott does take a wild transcribe which is probably the only annoyance but hey, it's free and we'll see if this can actually work.

    unknown title 2008

  • "transcribe" well, and his bold emphatic speech, curbed to the task of reproducing the choice and pregnant sobriety of Attic style, is apt to eliminate everything but the sobriety.

    Robert Browning 1892

  • "transcribe" the study's findings into legislation.

    EurActiv.com 2009

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