authorship
n. uncountablen. the state of being the person who wrote a book, article, or document. It can also mean the origin or source of an idea or piece of work.
n. the fact or position of being the creator of a written work or idea. Often used in legal or academic contexts to discuss the attribution of intellectual property.
The professor questioned the authorship of the student's essay.
New evidence has emerged that challenges the traditional authorship of several plays previously attributed to Shakespeare.
Determining the true authorship of the anonymous pamphlet required a detailed stylistic analysis of the vocabulary and sentence structures used throughout the text.
From author + -ship.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often appears in the phrase 'disputed authorship' or 'joint authorship'.
Last updated May 8, 2026