The work is widely credited with popularising the idea of time travel, which involves travelling purposefully and selectively forward or backward in time using a vehicle or computer. Wells invented the word "time machine," which is now almost commonly used to describe such a vehicle or unit. The Time Machine has been adapted into three feature films, two television adaptations, and a slew of comic book adaptations. It has also served as an indirect inspiration for a slew of other works of fiction in a variety of media.