invent
pronunciation
How to pronounce invent in British English: UK [ɪnˈvent]
How to pronounce invent in American English: US [ɪnˈvent]
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- 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 âto come upon; devise, discoverâ (see invention). Meaning "make up, think up" is from 1530s, as is that of "produce by original thought." Related: Invented; inventing.
Antonym
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 .