Definitions for author
ˈɔ θərau·thor

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.3 / 3 votes

1. writer, authornoun

   writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

2. generator, source, authorverb

   someone who originates or causes or initiates something

   "he was the generator of several complaints"

3. authorverb

   be the author of

   "She authored this play"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. authornoun

   The originator or creator of a work, especially of a literary composition.

2. authornoun

   Someone who writes books for a living; a bookwright.

3. authorverb

   To create a work as its author.

4. Etymology: From autour, from autor, from auctor, from augeo. The is unetymological as there is no in the original Latin spelling. This may be from the spelling autheur.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. AUTHORnoun

   Etymology: auctor, Lat.

   1. The first beginner or mover of any thing; he to whom any thing owes its original.

   That law, the author and observer whereof is one only God, to be blessed for ever. Richard Hooker, b. i.

   The author of that which causeth another thing to be, is author of that thing also which thereby is caused. Richard Hooker, b. iii.

   I’ll never
   Be such a gosling to obey instinct; but stand
   As if a man was author of himself,
   And knew no other kin. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

   Thou art my father, thou my author, thou
   My being gav’st me; whom should I obey,
   But thee? John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ii.

   But Faunus came from Picus, Picus drew
   His birth from Saturn, if records be true.
   Thus king Latinus, in the third degree,
   Had Saturn author of his family. John Dryden, Æneid vii.

   If the worship of false Gods had not blinded the heathen, instead of teaching to worship the sun, and dead heroes, they would have taught us to worship our true Author and benefactor, as their ancestors did under the government of Noah and his sons, before they corrupted themselves. Isaac Newton, Opticks.

   2. The efficient; he that effects or produces any thing.

   That which is the strength of their amity, shall prove the immediate author of their variance. William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopat.

   Now while the tortur’d savage turns around,
   And flings about his foam, impatient of the wound;
   The wound’s great author close at hand provokes
   His rage. John Dryden, Fables.

   From his loins
   New authors of dissention spring; from him
   Two branches, that in hosting long contend
   For sov’reign sway. Philips.

   3. The first writer of any thing; distinct from the translator or compiler.

   To stand upon every point in particulars, belongeth to the first author of the story. 2 Macc. ii. 30.

   An author has the choice of his own thoughts and words, which a translator has not. Dryden.

   4. A writer in general.

   Yet their own authors faithfully affirm,
   That the land Salike lies in Germany. William Shakespeare, Henry V.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Author

   An author is the writer of a book, article, play, or other written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "An author is 'the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility for what was created.'"Typically, the first owner of a copyright is the person who created the work, i.e. the author. If more than one person created the work (i.e., multiple authors), then a case of joint authorship takes place. Copyright laws differ around the world. The United States Copyright Office, for example, defines copyright as "a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to authors of 'original works of authorship.'"

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. author

   An author is an individual who writes or creates a literary work, such as a book, novel, poem, or play. They are responsible for the content and structure of their written creations, using their own thoughts, ideas, and imagination to provide entertainment, convey information, or express emotions. An author may also be referred to as a writer.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Authornoun

   the beginner, former, or first mover of anything; hence, the efficient cause of a thing; a creator; an originator

2. Authornoun

   one who composes or writes a book; a composer, as distinguished from an editor, translator, or compiler

3. Authornoun

   the editor of a periodical

4. Authornoun

   an informant

5. Authorverb

   to occasion; to originate

6. Authorverb

   to tell; to say; to declare

7. Etymology: [OE. authour, autour, OF. autor, F. auteur, fr. L. auctor, sometimes, but erroneously, written autor or author, fr. augere to increase, to produce. See Auction, n.]

FreebaseRate this definition:4.5 / 2 votes

1. Author

   An author is broadly defined as "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility for what was created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Author

   awth′or, n. one who originates or brings anything into being: a beginner or first mover of any action or state of things: the writer of an original book: elliptically for an author's writings: one's authority for something: an informant:—fem. Auth′oress.—adjs. Authō′rial, Auth′orish; Authorīs′able.—n. Authorisā′tion.—v.t. Auth′orise, to give authority to: to sanction: to permit: to justify: to establish by authority.—adj. Auth′orless, anonymous.—ns. Auth′orling, a petty author; Auth′orship, Auth′oring, Auth′orism, state or quality of being an author. [Through Fr. from L. auctor—augēre, auctum, to cause things to increase, to produce.]

Matched Categories

1. • Authorship
   • Communicator
   • Write

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'author' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2298

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'author' in Nouns Frequency: #683

How to pronounce author?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say author in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of author in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of author in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of author in a Sentence

1. Faber Faber:

   It is difficult to express our profound sadness at losing P. D. James, one of the world's great writers and a Faber author since her first publication in 1962, she was so very remarkable in every aspect of her life, an inspiration and great friend to us all. We will miss her hugely.

2. Kimberly Johnson:

   I was proud to be African-American because I looked at them and thought what a wonderful thing they had done to open the path for me as a children's author, i know I would not be where I am today if folks before me had not forged the way, so I was very honored to be in there presence.

3. Harry Emerson Fosdick:

   Life is a library owned by an author. It has a few books which he wrote himself, but most of them were written for him.

4. Archibald MacLeish:

   The one man who should never attempt an explanation of a poem is its author. If the poem can be improved by it's author's explanations it never should have been published, and if the poem cannot be improved by its author's explanations the explanations are scarcely worth reading.

5. Isaac D?Israeli:

   Is a preface exquisitely written? No literary morsel is more delicious. Is the author inveterately dull? It is a kind of preparatory information, which may be very useful. It argues a deficiency of taste to turn over an elaborate preface unread: for it is the attar of the author?s roses, every drop distilled at an immense cost. It is the reason of the reasoning, and the folly of the foolish.

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