author
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au·thor
(ô′thər)n.
1.
a. The writer of a book, article, or other text.
b. One who practices writing as a profession.
2. One who writes or constructs an electronic document or system, such as a website.
3. An originator or creator, as of a theory or plan.
4. Author God.
tr.v. au·thored, au·thor·ing, au·thors
1. Usage Problem To write or be the author of (a published text).
2. To write or construct (an electronic document or system): authored the company's website.
[Alteration (influenced by authentic, authoritative, and other technical terms of Greek origin spelled with th) of Middle English auctour, autor, from Old French auctur, autor, from Latin auctor, creator, from auctus, past participle of augēre, to create; see aug- in Indo-European roots.]
au·thor′i·al (ô-thôr′ē-əl, ô-thŏr′-) adj.
Usage Note: The verb author has been criticized for its transitive use as an unnecessary or pretentious synonym of write, though note that it typically refers to the writing of material that has been published—and not to unpublished texts such as love letters or diaries. So the two words are not exact synonyms. The Usage Panel has tended to sympathize with the traditional view, but this sympathy has been slowly eroding over the decades. In 1964, 81 percent of the Panel found the verb unacceptable in writing. In our 1988 survey, 74 percent rejected it in the sentence He has authored a dozen books on the subject. In 2001, the proportion of Panelists who rejected this same sentence fell to 60 percent. · Journalists frequently use the verb author to apply to the creation or sponsoring of legislative acts, as in The senator authored a bill limiting uses of desert lands in California. In these cases the lawmaker may not have actually written the bill that bears his or her name but rather promoted its idea and passage. While the Panelists were a bit more tolerant of this legislative usage, the nays still have the slightest edge, with 51 percent rejecting the previously quoted sentence in 2001, down from 64 percent in 1988. This suggests that the verb will eventually be accepted by most people.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
author
(ˈɔːθə)n
1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a person who composes a book, article, or other written work.
2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a person who writes books as a profession; writer
3. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) the writings of such a person: reviewing a postwar author.
4. an originator or creator: the author of this plan.
vb (tr)
(Literary & Literary Critical Terms) to write or originate
[C14: from Old French autor, from Latin auctor author, from augēre to increase]
authorial adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
au•thor
(ˈɔ θər)n.
1. the composer of a literary work; writer.
2. the literature produced by a writer: to edit an author.
3. the maker of anything; creator; originator: the author of a new tax plan.
4. Computers. the writer of a software program, esp. a hypertext or multimedia application.
v.t. 5. to be the author of.
[1250–1300; earlier auct(h)or, Middle English auto(u)r < Anglo-French < Latin auctor writer, progenitor <augēre to increase, augment]
au•tho•ri•al (ɔˈθɔr i əl, ɔˈθoʊr-) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
author
Past participle: authored
Gerund: authoring
| Imperative |
|---|
| author |
| author |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  author - writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)communicator - a person who communicates with others abstracter, abstractor - one who makes abstracts or summarizes information alliterator - a speaker or writer who makes use of alliteration authoress - a woman author biographer - someone who writes an account of a person's life coauthor, joint author - a writer who collaborates with others in writing something commentator, reviewer - a writer who reports and analyzes events of the day compiler - a person who compiles information (as for reference purposes) contributor - a writer whose work is published in a newspaper or magazine or as part of a book cyberpunk - a writer of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology drafter - a writer of a draft dramatist, playwright - someone who writes plays essayist, litterateur - a writer of literary works folk writer - a writer of folktales framer - someone who writes a new law or plan; "the framers of the Constitution" ghostwriter, ghost - a writer who gives the credit of authorship to someone else Gothic romancer - a writer of Gothic romances journalist - a writer for newspapers and magazines librettist - author of words to be set to music in an opera or operetta novelist - one who writes novels pamphleteer - a writer of pamphlets (usually taking a partisan stand on public issues) paragrapher - a writer of paragraphs (as for publication on the editorial page of a newspaper) poet - a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry) polemic, polemicist, polemist - a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology) poetiser, poetizer, rhymer, rhymester, versifier - a writer who composes rhymes; a maker of poor verses (usually used as terms of contempt for minor or inferior poets) scenarist - a writer of screenplays scriptwriter - someone who writes scripts for plays or movies or broadcast dramas space writer - a writer paid by the area of the copy speechwriter - a writer who composes speeches for others to deliver tragedian - a writer (especially a playwright) who writes tragedies wordmonger - a writer who uses language carelessly or pretentiously with little regard for meaning word-painter - a writer of vivid or graphic descriptive power wordsmith - a fluent and prolific writer |
| 2. | author - someone who originates or causes or initiates something; "he was the generator of several complaints" coiner - someone who is a source of new words or new expressions | |
| Verb | 1. |  author - be the author of; "She authored this play"authorship, penning, writing, composition - the act of creating written works; "writing was a form of therapy for him"; "it was a matter of disputed authorship" indite, pen, write, compose - produce a literary work; "She composed a poem"; "He wrote four novels" co-author - be a co-author on (a book, a paper) ghostwrite, ghost - write for someone else; "How many books have you ghostwritten so far?" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
author
noun
Related words
adjective auctorial
adjective auctorial
Quotations
"There is probably no hell for authors in the next world - they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this" [C.N. Bovee]
"There is probably no hell for authors in the next world - they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this" [C.N. Bovee]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
author
nounOne that creates, founds, or originates:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
كاتِب، مُؤلِّفمُؤَلِّف
autor
forfatterskribent
kirjailijakirjoittaa
autorautorica
szerzõszerző
höfundurrithöfundur
著者
저자작가
autoriusautorystė
autors
autor
avtorpisec
författareförfatta
นักประพันธ์
tác giả
author
[ˈɔːθəʳ]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
author
[ˈɔːθər] n → auteur (auteure)mfShe's a famous author → C'est un auteur connu., C'est une auteur connue., C'est une auteure connue.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
author
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
author
[ˈɔːθəʳ] n → autore/triceCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
author
(ˈoːθə) – feminine sometimes ˈauthoress – noun the writer of a book, article, play etc. He used to be a well-known author but his books are out of print now.
ˈauthorship noun the state or fact of being an author.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
author
→ مُؤَلِّف autor forfatter Autor συγγραφέας autor kirjailija auteur autor autore 著者 저자 auteur forfatter autor autor автор författare นักประพันธ์ yazar tác giả 作者Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009