invention

[in-ven-shuh n]

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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.

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

Related Words for invention

contraption, brainchild, ingenuity, creativity, doodad, imagination, design, gimmick, gizmo, apparatus, opus, concoction, novelty, resourcefulness, originality, genius, innovation, discovery, development, gadget

Examples from the Web for invention

Contemporary Examples of 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
The maxim proved true: Necessity is the mother of invention.
Cheap Trick: Most Magicians Are Lazy Hacks
Rick Lax
August 19, 2014
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
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
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

Historical Examples of invention

Do you object to atheism, and yet regard obedience to God as an invention of the priests?
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
This scene, be it remarked, is not in Plutarch, but is Shakespeare's own invention.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
For when has Desdemona shown high and plenteous wit or invention?
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
It is Mary Fitton who has "wit and invention," and is "an admirable musician."
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
This invention gives the desired result with absolute certainty.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell

British Dictionary definitions for invention

invention

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

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.