au·thor (ô th r)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 assume responsibility for the content of (a published text). 2. To write or construct (an electronic document or system): authored the company's website. [Middle English auctour, from Old French autor, from Latin auctor, creator, from auctus, past participle of aug  re, to create; see aug- in Indo-European roots.]au·thor i·al (ô-thôr-l, ô-th r-) adj.Usage Note: The verb author, which had been out of use for a long period, has been rejuvenated in recent years with the sense "to assume responsibility for the content of a published text." As such it is not quite synonymous with the verb write; one can write, but not author, a love letter or an unpublished manuscript, and the writer who ghostwrites a book for a celebrity cannot be said to have "authored" the creation. The sentence He has authored a dozen books on the subject was unacceptable to 74 percent of the Usage Panel, probably because it implies that having a book published is worthy of special lexical distinction, a notion that sits poorly with conventional literary sensibilities and seems to smack of press agentry. The sentence The Senator authored a bill limiting uses of desert lands in California was similarly rejected by 64 percent of the Panel, though here the usage is common journalistic practice and is perhaps justified by the observation that we do not expect that legislators will actually write the bills to which they attach their names. · The use of author as a verb in computer-related contexts is well established and unexceptionable. |
author [ˈɔːθə]
n
1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a person who composes a book, article, or other written work Related adj auctorial
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
[from Old French autor, from Latin auctor author, from augēre to increase]
authorial [ɔːˈθɔːrɪəl] adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| 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?" |
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]
Translations
author [ˈɔːθəʳ]
author [ˈɔːθər] n → auteur* $(auteure)mf
She's a famous author → C'est un auteur connu., C'est une auteur connue., C'est une auteure connue.
She's a famous author → C'est un auteur connu., C'est une auteur connue., C'est une auteure connue.
author
author [ˈɔːθəʳ] n → autore/trice
n author [ˈoːθə]
the writer of a book, article, play etc He used to be a well-known author but his books are out of print now. outeur, skrywer كاتِب، مُؤلِّف автор autor forfatter; skribent der/die Autor(in) συγγραφέας autor; autora kirjanik, autor نویسنده؛ مولف tekijä auteur/-eure מחַבֵּר लेखक autor, pisac szerző pengarang (rit)höfundur autore, autrice 著者 작가 autorius autors penulis auteur forfatter, skribent autor autor autor автор autor, -ka avtor autor/autorka författare ผู้เขียน yazar 作者 автор, авторка مصنف tác giả 作者
n authorship
the state or fact of being an author. outeurskap تَأليف، كَون الشَّخْص كاتِباً авторство autorství, spisovatelství forfatterskab die Autorschaft η ιδιότητα του συγγραφέα autoría kirjanikuamet, autorsus نویسندگی؛ نگارش kirjailijana olo profession d'écrivain כְּתִיבַת ספָרִים कर्तृव्य autor szerzőség profesi mengarang, kepengarangan ritstörf professione di scrittore 著述業 원작자임 autorystė autorība penulisan auteurschap forfatterskap autorstwo autoria profesiune de scriitor авторство autorstvo avtorstvo autorstvo författarskap ความเป็นผู้เขียน yazarlık 作者，作者身份 авторство مصنف ہونے کی صفت tư cách một tác giả 作者的情况
author → المؤلف autor forfatterinde Autor συγγραφέας autor kirjailija auteur autor autore 著者 저자 auteur forfatter autor autor автор författare นักประพันธ์ yazar tác giả 作者
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