autore

Autore is an Italian noun meaning author, writer, or creator—the person who originated or produced a work. It is used for authors of texts, composers of music, or filmmakers, and can also denote the party responsible for a crime in legal contexts. The feminine form is autrice; the plurals are autori (masculine or mixed gender) and autrici (feminine). The term comes from Latin auctor, originator or promoter.

In literary contexts, l'autore refers to the author of a novel, essay, or other written work. In music, autore can denote the composer or lyricist, depending on phrasing, as in autore della canzone. In cinema, the related concept is the auteur theory, which emphasizes the director as the prime creative force; Italian scholarship uses the expression teoria dell'autore to discuss this idea. In law, autore identifies the principal perpetrator of a crime, distinct from accomplices or co-offenders.

As a surname, Autore appears in Italian-speaking communities and in the diaspora, and may be encountered in personal names or bibliographic attributions. The term also enters academic discourse as a general label for a creator or originator across arts and media, reflecting its broad usage beyond literature alone.