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View synonyms for

invention

[ in-ven-shuhn ]

noun

  1. the act of inventing.
  2. 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.
  3. anything invented or devised.
  4. the power or faculty of inventing, devising, or originating.
  5. an act or instance of creating or producing by exercise of the imagination, especially in art, music, etc.
  6. something fabricated, as a false statement.
  7. Sociology. the creation of a new culture trait, pattern, etc.
  8. Music. a short piece, contrapuntal in nature, generally based on one subject.
  9. Rhetoric. (traditionally) one of the five steps in speech preparation, the process of choosing ideas appropriate to the subject, audience, and occasion.
  10. Archaic. the act of finding.


invention

/ ɪˈɛʃə /

noun

  1. the act or process of inventing
  2. something that is invented
  3. 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
  4. creative power or ability; inventive skill
  5. euphemistic.
    a fabrication; lie
  6. (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
  7. music a short piece consisting of two or three parts usually in imitative counterpoint
  8. sociol the creation of a new cultural pattern or trait
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԳپDzԲ, adjective
  • ˈԳپDzԱ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ·tDz· adjective
  • ·tDz· adjective
  • i·tDz noun
  • -·tDz noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of invention1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English invencio(u)n, from Latin ԱԳپō-, stem of ԱԳپō “discovery, finding out”; equivalent to invent + -ion
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They’re inventions of character, against type, and of how our lives rebound off one another.

From

The greatest invention of the Industrial Age isn’t the iPhone or lithium-ion batteries or even the internal combustion engine — it’s public health.

From

Tinned fish has been around for centuries, dating all the way back to the late 1700s when canning and preserving foods were budding inventions.

From

That sense of experiencing something special for the first time is part of the key to the event’s success, giving off an energy of invention and revelation.

From

The “Ode” celebrates in exalted song and irresistibly vivid instrumental invention, the wonder of music in all its processes and measures.

From

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