authorship

American  

[aw-ther-ship] / ˈɔ θərˌʃɪp /

noun

1. origin, especially with reference to an author, creator, producer, etc., of a work.

   establishing the authorship of early medieval manuscripts.

2. the occupation or career of writing books, articles, etc.

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authorship British  

/ ˈɔːθəˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the origin or originator of a written work, plan, etc

   a book of unknown authorship

2. the profession of writing books

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Etymology

Origin of authorship

First recorded in 1700–10; author + -ship

Explanation

If you write something, you are engaged in authorship. If you want a fancy way of asking "Who wrote that letter?" — try, "Who is responsible for the authorship of that letter?" Fancy, indeed! Authorship can refer to anything, not just the creation of written text; you can have authorship of a new idea, a new cocktail, a new fashion style — anything. And just as doctors practice medicine, or architects architecture, so writers practice authorship; in other words, authorship also means the actual act of authoring or writing.

Example Sentences

Authorship was eternal, but ownership had slipped away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

The Shakespeare establishment regularly rolls its eyes at what is called the Authorship Question, pooh-poohing its “heretics” as the equivalent of election deniers and Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorists.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2023

Authorship of the song has remained in question.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2023

Authorship is at the heart of debates about songwriting, partly because of the notion of the creative auteur, where the songwriter is seen as the major creative force of the band, or artist.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2022

The Authorship of the passage, as every one must see, is not the question.

From The Revision Revised by Burgon, John William