invention
/ɪnˈvɛnʃ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1The action of inventing something, typically a process or device: the invention of printing in the 15th century...
- Artistic pursuit can come in many forms such as research, invention, poetry or painting.
- Very much like the issuance of a patent by the US Patent Office on any crazy notion, implies that the idea, invention, process, actually exists or works?
- Thomas Edison's first invention was a tabulation device that showed visitors to a state legislature exactly how lawmakers were voting on every bill.
Synonyms
origination, creation, innovation, devising, contriving, contrivance, formulation, development, design;
conception, masterminding, pioneering, introduction;
discovery, finding
1.1 [count noun] Something, typically a process or device, that has been invented: medieval inventions included spectacles for reading and the spinning wheel...
- Utility patents - unlike design or plant patents - are granted for inventions of machines, processes, and products.
- A shame since it includes the weapons, sabotage devices and other inventions which undoubtedly frustrated the German forces.
- In the EU, he says, IBM is one of the strongest supporters of the proposed directive on computer implemented inventions, a very controversial piece of legislation.
Synonyms
innovation, origination, creation, design, contraption, contrivance, construction, device, gadget, apparatus, machine;
discovery;
coinage
informal brainchild, gizmo, widget
1.2Creative ability: his powers of invention were rather limited...
- Yet these are still fascinating questions, questions that provoke us and bring forth all kinds of creative thought and invention.
- Why unrefined, ill-informed, loose oral expressions seem to displace thoroughness, creativity, innovation, invention and skill.
- Jan's technical ability, artistic invention, and intellect were universally recognized, by writers and artists in Italy as well as the Netherlands.
Synonyms
inventiveness, originality, creativity, creativeness, imagination, imaginativeness, inspiration;
ingenuity, ingeniousness, resourcefulness, initiative, enterprise;
genius, brilliance, vision
1.3 [count noun] Something fabricated or made up: you know my story is an invention...
- When it turned out that the motorcycle story was an invention, they were even less pleased about this fantasy Web site.
- The legend of Robin Hood, inventions or stories on which intellectual property protections have lapsed, and the Linux operating system are simply not cases of ownership at all.
- Sure it might be about identity as ‘an invention based on myths and half-truths’, but is also typical of most video art - boring.
Synonyms
fabrication, concoction, fiction, piece of fiction, yarn, story, tale, figment of one's imagination;
lie, untruth, falsehood, fib, trumped-up story;
myth, fantasy
informal tall story, fairy story, fairy tale, cock and bull story, red herring
kidology
1.4Used as a title for a short piece of music: Bach’s two-part Inventions...
- At least a few of Bach's two-part inventions are well-known to beginning piano students, general media consumers and, sadly, cell-phone users.
- Bach wrote a number of 2-part and 3-part Inventions for keyboard.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'finding out, discovery'): from Latin inventio(n-), from invenire 'discover' (see invent).
‘Finding out, discover’ rather than creating is the base sense of invention, which comes from Latin invenire ‘discover, come upon’ from in-‘into, upon’, and venire ‘come’. Inventory (Late Middle English) ‘a list of what is found’ is from the same source.