someone who is the first to think of or make something
"Thomas Edison was an inventor because he was the first person to create a practical light bulb."
One who invents, either as a hobby or as an occupation.
"The retired engineer became a local inventor after spending his days in the garage creating new gadgets as a hobby."
In plain English: An inventor is someone who creates new things by coming up with original ideas and building them to work.
"The inventor created a new type of smartphone that changed how people communicate."
Usage: An inventor creates new devices or processes through research and experimentation rather than merely discovering something that already exists naturally. While the term applies to both professional innovators and amateur hobbyists, it specifically denotes the person responsible for bringing a novel idea into practical existence.
The word entered English directly from the Latin inventor, which originally meant a discoverer or one who brings something into existence. It was formed by combining the root for "to find" with an agent suffix to describe someone who creates new things.