Word Study
invent
CIDE DICTIONARY
invent, v. t. [L. inventus, p. p. of invenire to come upon, to find, invent; pref. in- in + venire to come, akin to E. come: cf. F. inventer. See Come.].
- To come or light upon; to meet; to find. [1913 Webster]"And vowed never to return again,
Till him alive or dead she did invent." [1913 Webster] - To discover, as by study or inquiry; to find out; to devise; to contrive or produce for the first time; -- applied commonly to the discovery of some serviceable mode, instrument, or machine. [1913 Webster]"Thus first Necessity invented stools." [1913 Webster]
- To frame by the imagination; to fabricate mentally; to forge; -- in a good or a bad sense; as, to invent the machinery of a poem; to invent a falsehood. [1913 Webster]"Whate'er his cruel malice could invent." [1913 Webster]"He had invented some circumstances, and put the worst possible construction on others."
Syn. -- To discover; contrive; devise; frame; design; fabricate; concoct; elaborate. See Discover.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
invent, v.tr.
1 create by thought, devise; originate (a new method, an instrument, etc.).
2 concoct (a false story etc.).
1 create by thought, devise; originate (a new method, an instrument, etc.).
2 concoct (a false story etc.).
Derivative
inventable adj.
Etymology
ME, = discover, f. L invenire invent- find, contrive (as IN-(2), venire vent- come)
THESAURUS
invent
beget, break ground, break the ice, breed, bring forth, bring into being, call into being, coin, conceit, conceive, conceptualize, concoct, contrive, cook up, counterfeit, create, design, determine, develop, devise, discover, dream up, engender, envision, evolve, experience imaginatively, fabricate, fake, fancy, fantasize, fictionalize, find, find out, forge, formulate, frame, fudge, generate, get, give being to, give rise to, hatch, hatch up, head, head up, hit, hit upon, hoke up, hunt down, ideate, imagine, improvise, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, introduce, introduce new blood, lead, lead off, lead the way, locate, make do with, make innovations, make up, manufacture, mature, mint, mold, neologize, neoterize, originate, pioneer, plan, precede, procreate, produce, rediscover, renew, renovate, revolutionize, run down, run to earth, shape, spawn, stand first, strike, strike out, suppose, take the initiative, take the lead, take the plunge, think out, think up, trace, trace down, track down, trump up, turn out, vamp upROGET THESAURUS
invent
Plan
VB plan, scheme, design, frame, contrive, project, forecast, sketch, devise, invent, set one's wits to work, spring a project, fall upon, hit upon, strike out, chalk out, cut out, lay out, map out, lay down a plan, shape out a course, mark out a course, predetermine, concert, preconcert, preestablish, prepare, hatch, hatch a plot concoct, take steps, take measures, cast, recast, systematize, organize, arrange, digest, mature, plot, counter-plot, counter-mine, dig a mine, lay a train, intrigue.Imagination
VB imagine, fancy, conceive, idealize, realize, dream, dream of, dream up, give to airy nothing a local habitation and a name, create, originate, devise, invent, coin, fabricate, improvise, strike out something new, set one's wits to work, strain one's invention, crack one's invention, rack one's brains, ransack one's brains, cudgel one's brains, excogitate, brainstorm, give play, give the reins, give a loose to the imagination, give fancy, indulge in reverie, visualize, envision, conjure up a vision, fancy oneself, represent oneself, picture, picture-oneself, figure to oneself, vorstellen, float in the mind, suggest itself.Falsehood
VB be false, be a liar, speak falsely, tell a lie, lie, fib, lie like a trooper, swear false, forswear, perjure oneself, bear false witness, misstate, misquote, miscite, misreport, misrepresent, belie, falsify, pervert, distort, put a false construction upon (misinterpret), prevaricate, equivocate, quibble, palter, palter to the understanding, repondre en Normand, trim, shuffle, fence, mince the truth, beat about the bush, blow hot and cold, play fast and loose, garble, gloss over, disguise, give a color to, give a gloss, put a gloss, put false coloring upon, color, varnish, cook, dress up, embroider, varnish right and puzzle wrong, exaggerate, blague, invent, fabricate, trump up, get up, force, fake, hatch, concoct, romance, cry 'wolf!', dissemble, dissimulate, feign, assume, put on, pretend, make believe, play possum, play false, play a double game, coquet, act a part, play a part, affect, simulate, pass off for, counterfeit, sham, make a show of, malinger, say the grapes are sour, cant, play the hypocrite, sham Abraham, faire pattes de velours, put on the mask, clean the outside of the platter, lie like a conjuror, hand out false colors, hold out false colors, sail under false colors, commend the poisoned chalice to the lips, ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces, deceive.For further exploring for "invent" in Webster Dictionary Online