Link Centre Dictionary

invent

in·vent

UK/ɪnˈvɛnt/ US/ˌɪˈnvɛnt/ fairly common

verb

1.

come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

  • “excogitate a way to measure the speed of light”
Synonyms
2.

Origin

From Middle English inventen, borrowed from Old French inventer, from Latin inventus, perfect passive participle of inveniō (“come upon, meet with, find, discover”), from in (“in, on”) + veniō (“come”); see venture. Compare advent, covent, event, prevent, etc. Displaced native Old English āþenċan (literally “to think out”).

Phrases

  • not invented here
  • why God invented

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.