author

noun
/ˈɔː.θə/UK/ˈoː.θə//ˈɔ.θɚ/US/ˈɑ.θɚ/ ~ /ˈɒ.θɚ/CA

Etymology

From Middle English auctour, from Anglo-Norman autour, from Old French autor, from Latin auctor, from augeō (“to increase, originate”). The h, also found in Middle French autheur, is unetymological as there is no h in the original Latin spelling. The OED attributes the h to contamination by authentic. Doublet of auteur.

  1. derived from auctor
  2. derived from autor
  3. derived from autour
  4. inherited from auctour

Definitions

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

    The originator or creator of a work, especially of a literary composition; or, one of the creators of a collaborative work.

    • The copyright of any original writing belongs initially and properly to its author.
    • Have you read any Corinthian authors?
    • This paper has three authors.
  2. The initial owner of the copyright to a work, especially a work made for hire or a work…

    The initial owner of the copyright to a work, especially a work made for hire or a work of corporate authorship.

    • The author named on the copyright registration for the Android robot is Google Inc.
  3. Someone who writes books for a living.

  4. + 4 more definitions
    1. Principal

      Principal; the primary participant in a crime.

      • We hear […]of fratricidal murders, and stern reprisals on their authors.
      • Accomplices of a crime or an offence shall incur the same punishment as the authors of such a crime or offence, except when the law will have disposed otherwise.
    2. One's authority for something

      One's authority for something: an informant.

    3. The creator or cause of anything.

    4. To create a work as its author.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at author. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01author02living03live04survive05concept06generic07vague08stated09written10write

A definitional loop anchored at author. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at author

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA