To create or design something that has never existed before through imagination or experimentation. Can also mean to fabricate or make up a false story.
From Latin 'inventus', past participle of 'invenire' meaning 'to come upon, find, discover'. Originally meant 'to find' but evolved to mean 'to create' by the 14th century.
The word 'invent' carries a beautiful paradox - it originally meant to 'find' something that already existed, but now means to create something entirely new. This semantic shift mirrors humanity's evolving relationship with discovery versus innovation.
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