- [countable]
a thing or an idea that has been invented 发明；创造 Fax machines were a wonderful invention at the time. 传真机在当时是一项了不起的发明。 He failed to patent his invention and never made a penny from it. 他未能为自己的发明申请到专利，因而一分钱也没赚到。
Extra ExamplesTopics Historya2The two friends started a company to market their invention. 这两个朋友开办了一家公司来推销他们的发明。 This combination of cheese and apples is not an invention of the north of England. 奶酪和苹果的结合不是英格兰北部的发明。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- latest
- new
- modern
- …
- come up with
- design
- license
- …
- [uncountable]
the act of inventing something 发明；创造 Such changes have not been seen since the invention of the printing press. 自从发明了印刷机，这种变革还没有出现过。 After the war, Westinghouse devoted himself to invention. 战后，西屋公司致力于发明。
- [countable, uncountable]
the act of inventing a story or an idea and pretending that it is true; a story invented in this way 虚构；编造；虚构的故事 This story is apparently a complete invention. 这个故事显然完全是虚构的。 Most of what she says is pure invention. 她说的大部分都是纯粹的发明。 What would he tell his parents? Some invention and quick thinking—that’s what was needed. 他会跟他的父母说什么？胡编乱造加上随机应变－这就是他所需要的。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- pure
- power of invention
- powers of invention
- [uncountable]
the ability to have new and interesting ideas 创造力；创意
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘finding out, discovery’): from Latin inventio(n-), from invenire ‘discover’, from in- ‘into’ + venire ‘come’.
Idioms
necessity is the mother of invention
- (saying)
a difficult new problem forces people to think of a solution to it 需求是发明之母