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

/ ɪnˈvɛnʃən /

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

Derived Forms

• inˈventional, adjective
• inˈventionless, adjective

Other Words From

• in·vention·al adjective
• in·vention·less adjective
• prein·vention noun
• self-in·vention noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of invention¹

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

Example Sentences

It never once succumbed to late 30s comfort or malaise, and instead delivered a chaotic charge of restlessness and structural invention.

From Los Angeles Times

Popular for decades as a street food, America's proudest culinary invention – the hamburger – debuted at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 alongside other novelties such as Dr. Pepper and ice cream.

From Salon

It has since become a commonly used method of taking insulin, and continues to be used to this day, alongside more modern inventions such as insulin pumps.

From BBC

Mr Hoback shows him his evidence and asks him if he was behind the now trillion dollar invention - a suggestion Mr Todd laughs off.

From BBC

“The laureates discoveries and inventions form the building blocks of machine learning.”

From Los Angeles Times