Word to the Wise: Amanuensis
by ETR (04/16/2008)
An "amanuensis" (uh-man-yoo-EN-sis) is a person employed to take dictation or copy manuscripts. The word is derived from the Latin for "by hand."
Example (as used by Barbara Crooker in "Transcription (Poem)"): "On this blue day, I want to be / nothing more than an amanuensis / to the birds, transcribing all the bits / and snatches of song riding in on the wind."