Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

in-vĕnĭo, vēni, ventum, 4, v. a. (fut. invenibit for inveniet, Pompon. ap. Non. p. 479, 28), lit., to come or light upon a thing; to find, meet with (cf.: reperio, offendo).

  1. I. Lit.: neque domi, neque in urbe invenio quemquam, qui illum viderit, Plaut. Am. 4, 1, 2; id. Aul. 4, 2, 13; cf. id. Stich. 1, 2, 53: in agro populabundum hostem, Liv. 3, 4, 7: Scipio mortuus in cubiculo inventus est, id. Epit. 59 fin.: naves reliquas paratas ad navigandum invenit, Caes. B. G. 5, 5: tolerabiles oratores, Cic. de Or. 1, 2: scis, Pamphilam meam inventam civem? is found to be a citizen’s daughter, Ter. Eun. 5, 9, 6.
    Sup.: pleraque inventu rara ac difficilia, Plin. 28, 1, 1, § 1; so Gell. 17, 12, 2.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To find out, to invent, effect: quandam fallaciam, Ter. Heaut. 3, 3, 35: perniciem aliis, ac postremo sibi, Tac. A. 1, 74.
      Of an orator’s faculty of invention: tanta in eo inveniendi copia et eloquendi facultas, Quint. 10, 1, 69: multa divinitus a majoribus nostris inventa atque instituta sunt, Auct. Or. pro Dom. 1.
    2. B. To find out, discover, ascertain, learn: inveniebat ex captivis, Sabim flumen ab suis castris non amplius milia passuum decem abesse, Caes. B. G. 2, 16: conjurationem, Cic. Cat. 3, 7: apud auctores invenio eodem anno descisse Antiates, Liv. 3, 23; 9, 45
    3. C. To find out, invent, devise, contrive how to do a thing: ille quomodo crimen commenticium confirmaret, non inveniebat, Cic. Rosc. Am. 15, 42: Venus inveniet puero succumbere furtim, i. e. will find out a way, Tib. 1 (8), 9, 35.
    4. D. To acquire, get, earn: ut facillume Sine invidia laudem invenias, Ter. And. 1, 1, 39: qui primus hoc cognomen invenit, Cic. Fin. 1, 7, 23: ex quo illi gloria opesque inventae, Sall. J. 70, 2: laudem, Just. 3, 7, 10; cf.: gratiam apud aliquem, Vulg. Luc. 1, 30.
    5. E. With se.
      1. 1. To show itself, appear: postquam se dolor invenit, Ov. H. 15, 113.
      2. 2. To be at home in any thing: minus se inveniunt, i. e. are perplexed, Sen. Ben. 5, 12, 6: nec medici se inveniunt, Petr. 47.

inventor, ōris, m. [invenio], one that finds out, a contriver, author, discoverer, inventor (class.): o mearum voluptatum omnium Inventor, inceptor, perfector, Ter. Eun. 5, 9, 5: Aristaeus, qui olivae dicitur inventor, Cic. N. D. 3, 18, 45: veritatis, id. Fin. 1, 10, 32: disputationum, id. de Or. 1, 11, 47: omnium artium, Caes. B. G. 6, 16: scelerum, Verg. A. 2, 164 al.: inventor legis Volero, proposer, Liv. 2, 56: Stoicorum, founder, Cic. Ac. 2, 42, 131.
Absol.: artes inventoribus afferunt laudem, Quint. 3, 7, 18; 8, 6, 23 Zumpt N. cr.