invention

[ in-ven-shuh n ]

/ ɪnˈvɛn ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR invention ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

U.S. Patent Law. a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.

anything invented or devised.

the power or faculty of inventing, devising, or originating.

an act or instance of creating or producing by exercise of the imagination, especially in art, music, etc.

something fabricated, as a false statement.

Sociology. the creation of a new culture trait, pattern, etc.

Music. a short piece, contrapuntal in nature, generally based on one subject.

Rhetoric. (traditionally) one of the five steps in speech preparation, the process of choosing ideas appropriate to the subject, audience, and occasion.

Archaic. the act of finding.

Nearby words

Origin of invention

1300–50; Middle English invencio(u)n < Latin inventiōn- (stem of inventiō) a finding out, equivalent to invent(us) (see invent) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsin·ven·tion·al, adjectivein·ven·tion·less, adjectivepre·in·ven·tion, nounself-in·ven·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for invention

The basic premise that Christians should expect to suffer and be persecuted is not an invention of Rev. Sproul.
All Aboard the USS Persecution Complex|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The maxim proved true: Necessity is the mother of invention.
Cheap Trick: Most Magicians Are Lazy Hacks|Rick Lax|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The invention of farming was the initial cause of wars that created peace.
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot|Nick Romeo|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The titles of two competing 16th-century world maps nicely capture the tension between reflection and invention.
The Million-Dollar Map Thief|Nick Romeo|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

You know what became way, way, way cooler to go to with the invention of Instagram?
Balloon Races Are Suddenly Cool. Why? Because, Instagram|Starbucks|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The march of invention is irresistible, and we are being swept along toward a great catastrophe.
By the Christmas Fire|Samuel McChord Crothers
This was soon forthcoming in the invention of the petrol motor.
The Mastery of the Air|William J. Claxton
From neither can we obtain much impression of the mechanism of his invention.
Aspects and Impressions|Edmund Gosse
That was the way books were written and read in the good old days before the invention of the telephone and the short story.
The Gentle Reader|Samuel McChord Crothers
There were times when I myself was carried away by this play of my own invention.
Marie Tarnowska|Annie Vivanti

British Dictionary definitions for invention

invention

/ (ɪnˈvɛnʃən) /

noun

the act or process of inventing

something that is invented

patent law the discovery or production of some new or improved process or machine that is both useful and is not obvious to persons skilled in the particular field

creative power or ability; inventive skill

euphemistic a fabrication; lie

(in traditional rhetoric) one of the five steps in preparing a speech or discourse: the process of finding suitable topics on which to talk or write

music a short piece consisting of two or three parts usually in imitative counterpoint

sociol the creation of a new cultural pattern or trait

Derived Formsinventional, adjectiveinventionless, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for invention

invention

c.1400, "devised method of organization," from Old French invencion (13c.) and directly from Latin inventionem (nominative inventio) "faculty of invention; a finding, discovery," noun of action from past participle stem of invenire "devise, discover, find," from in- "in, on" (see in- (2)) + venire "to come" (see venue).

Meaning "finding or discovering of something" is early 15c. in English; sense of "thing invented" is first recorded 1510s. Etymological sense preserved in Invention of the Cross, Church festival (May 3) celebrating the reputed finding of the Cross of the Crucifixion by Helena, mother of Constantine, in 326 C.E.

invention

noun

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Origin of invention

Examples from the Web for invention

invention

noun

invention