author

[ aw-ther ]

/ ˈɔ θər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR author ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who writes a novel, poem, essay, etc.; the composer of a literary work, as distinguished from a compiler, translator, editor, or copyist.

the literary production or productions of a writer: to find a passage in an author.

the maker of anything; creator; originator: the author of a new tax plan.

Computers. the writer of a software program, especially a hypertext or multimedia application.

verb (used with object)

to write; be the author of: He authored a history of the Civil War.

to originate; create a design for: She authored a new system for teaching chemistry.

Nearby words

authentical, authenticate, authenticator, authenticity, authigenic, author, author catalog, author's alteration, authoress, authoring, authoritarian

Origin of author

1250–1300; earlier auct(h)or < Latin auctor writer, progenitor, equivalent to aug(ēre) to increase, augment + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English auto(u)r < Anglo-French, for Old French autor < Latin, as above

Related forms

au·tho·ri·al

[aw-thawr-ee-uh l, aw-thohr-] /ɔˈθɔr i əl, ɔˈθoʊr-/, adjectiveau·thor·less, adjectivemul·ti·au·thored, adjectivepro·au·thor, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for author

The Amazon biography for an author named Papa Faal mentions both Gambia and lists a military record that matches the FBI report.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Author J.K. Rowling says all religions are present at her beloved wizard school—except Wiccans.
Harry Potter and the Torah of Terror|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
E.J. Graff, senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, is the author of What Is Marriage For?
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I resisted it, though I was immediately told by someone in the group that the author reminded him of me.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She is the author of Dirty Entanglements: Corruption, Crime and Terrorism (Cambridge University Press).
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism|Louise I. Shelley|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jacob was the author both of commentaries and of scholia on the sacred books; of these specimens are given by Assemani and Wright.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 1|Various
Whether the former gives a dryer product or not, the author cannot decide.
Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel|Samuel William Johnson
He is even the author of a work aimed deliberately at us, and entitled Der Tug.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 148, February 10, 1915|Various
The author was the most delightful and entertaining of literary men of our time, Mr. James Payn.
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 1 (of 2)|Harry Furniss
The existence of a devil—a creature made by God, and the author of evil that will exist forever.
Handbook of Freethought|Various

British Dictionary definitions for author

author

/ (ˈɔːθə) /

noun

a person who composes a book, article, or other written workRelated adjective: auctorial

a person who writes books as a profession; writer

the writings of such a personreviewing a postwar author

an originator or creatorthe author of this plan

verb (tr)

to write or originate

Derived Forms

authorial (ɔːˈθɔːrɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for author

C14: from Old French autor, from Latin auctor author, from augēre to increase

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012