The term "fiction" refers to literature or storytelling that is created from the imagination and not based on real events or factual occurrences. It encompasses various genres like novels, short stories, and plays, where characters, settings, and plots are invented by the author. Fiction can entertain, inform, or provoke thought and often explores themes about human nature, society, and the world.
The word "fiction" comes from the Latin word "fictio," which means "the act of making, fashioning, or forming." This term is derived from "fingere," which means "to shape or form." It entered Middle English from Old French "fiction."