Invention

• Date: 14th century

Definitions

• 1 : discovery, finding
• 2 : productive imagination : inventiveness
• 3 a : something invented: as

(1) : a product of the imagination; especially : a false conception

(2) : a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment

b : a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint

• 4 : the act or process of inventing

Description

An invention is a new composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social behaviors adopted by people and passed on to others. Inventions often extend the boundaries of human knowledge or experience.

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