Author
/ˈɔːθər/noun
A person who creates or writes a book, article, or other text.
Did you know?Author comes from Latin auctor, from augere, meaning “to increase” or “make grow,” so an author was originally someone who *brought something into being*—not just someone who wrote it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eug-
“to increase, grow, strengthen”
Latin
Latin
augēre
“to increase, make grow”
Latin
Latin
auctor
“an originator, promoter, creator, authority”
Old French
Old French
autor
“source, instigator, writer”
Middle English
English
auctour
“creator, source, writer”
Modern English
English
author
“a writer or creator of a work”