invent

pronunciation

How to pronounce invent in British English: UK [ɪnˈvent]word uk audio image

How to pronounce invent in American English: US [ɪnˈvent] word us audio image

  • Verb:
    come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or priciple) after a mental effort
    make up something artificial or untrue

Word Origin

invent
invent: [15] Invent originally meant ‘find’ (‘Since that Eve was procreated out of Adam’s side, could not such newels [novelties] in this land be invented’, wrote the anonymous author of a 15th-century song). It was based on invent-, the past participial stem of Latin invenīre ‘come upon, find’, a compound verb formed from the prefix in- ‘on’ and venīre ‘come’.The sense ‘devise’, which developed via ‘discover’, actually existed in the Latin verb, but English did not take it on board until the 16th century. The derivative inventory [16] was borrowed from medieval Latin inventōrium ‘list’, an alteration of late Latin inventārium, which originally meant a ‘finding out’, hence an ‘enumeration’.=> adventure, inventory
invent (v.)
late 15c., "find, discover," a back-formation from invention or else from Latin inventus, past participle of invenire “to come upon; devise, discover” (see invention). Meaning "make up, think up" is from 1530s, as is that of "produce by original thought." Related: Invented; inventing.

Antonym

vt.

imitate

Example

1. Charles darwin didn 't invent a belief system .
2. Take the time to invent fresh , powerful images .
3. The bullshitters , ignorant of facts , invent a story to protect themselves .
4. He had to invent a complex world , based in reality but with magical elements .
5. Europeans don 't get enough credit for stuff they invent .

more: >How to Use "invent" with Example Sentences