author

American  

[aw-ther] / ˈɔ θər /

noun

1. a person who writes a novel, poem, essay, etc.; the composer of a literary work, as distinguished from a compiler, translator, editor, or copyist.

2. the literary production or productions of a writer.

   to find a passage in an author.

3. the maker of anything; creator; originator.

   the author of a new tax plan.

4. Computers. the writer of a software program, especially a hypertext or multimedia application.

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verb (used with object)

1. to write; be the author of.

   He authored a history of the Civil War.

2. to originate; create a design for.

   She authored a new system for teaching chemistry.

author British  

/ ɔːˈθɔːrɪəl, ˈɔːθə /

noun

1. a person who composes a book, article, or other written work

2. a person who writes books as a profession; writer

3. the writings of such a person

   reviewing a postwar author

4. an originator or creator

   the author of this plan

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verb

1. to write or originate

Other Word Forms

• authorial adjective
• authorless adjective
• multiauthored adjective
• proauthor adjective

Etymology

Origin of author

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English auct(h)or, from Latin auctor “founder, originator, writer,” equivalent to aug(ēre) “to increase” ( augment ) + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English auto(u)r, from Anglo-French; Old French autor, from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Indeed, as the authors point out, Mr. De Niro’s co-star Al Pacino was 77 while portraying a 47-year old Jimmy Hoffa in the film.

From The Wall Street Journal

Such systems “may determine pay by what the firm knows about how much a nurse was willing to accept for a previous assignment,” the report’s authors wrote, locking them into lower pay bands over time.

From MarketWatch

In a unanimous opinion issued Thursday, justices from the state’s first appellate district found that an oversight body in Sonoma County is legally authorized to subpoena the county sheriff’s office while probing whistleblower inquiries.

From Los Angeles Times

"We discovered that, in some species, large chunks of DNA on five chromosomes are flipped -- a type of mutation called a chromosomal inversion," said senior author Hennes Svardal from the University of Antwerp.

From Science Daily

"Maintaining a healthy diet in today's food environment requires constant effort and self-control," said lead author Charlotte Hagerman, PhD, of the Oregon Research Institute.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• biographer
• columnist
• composer
• creator
• journalist
• poet
• producer
• reporter
• writer