English
original
Etymology

From Middle English original, from Old French original, from Late Latin orīginālis, from Latin orīgō; see origin.

Pronunciation
  • IPA: /əˈɹɪd͡ʒɪnəl/, /əˈɹɪd͡ʒənəl/, /əˈɹɪd͡ʒnəl/
  • IPA: /ɒˈɹɪd͡ʒɪnəl/
Adjective

original

  1. (not comparable) Relating to the origin or beginning; preceding all others.
    the original state of mankind;  the original laws of a country;  the original inventor of a process
  2. (not comparable) First in a series of copies or versions.
    Synonyms: initial
    The original manuscript contained spelling errors which were fixed in later versions.
    This recording is by the original broadway cast.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:
      The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, […].
  3. (not comparable) Newly created.
    Tonight we will hear an original work by one of our best composers.
  4. (comparable) Fresh, different.
    The paper contains a number of original ideas about color perception.
  5. (not comparable) Pioneering.
    Parker was one of the original bebop players.
  6. (not comparable) Having a specified place or time as its origin.
    This kind of barbecue is original to North Carolina.
  7. (of a potato chip) Seasoned with salt but no other flavoring; ready salted
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Noun

original (plural originals)

  1. An object or other creation (e.g. narrative work) from which all later copies and variations are derived.
    Synonyms: prototype
    Antonyms: copy, derivative, remake, reproduction, ultimate
    Hyponym: autograph
    This manuscript is the original.
  2. A person with a unique and interesting personality or creative talent.
    • 1700, Tom Brown, Amusements Serious and Comical, calculated for the Meridian of London, page 5:
      I have a great mind to be in Print; but above all, I would fain be an Original, and that is a true Comical Thought: When all the Learned Men in the World are but Tranſlators, is it not a Pleaſant Jeſt, that you ſhould ſtrive to be an Original! You ſhould have obſerved your Time, and have come into the World with the Ancient Greeks for that purpoſe; for the Latines themſelves are but Copies.
    • 2010, A. Kusuma, Creativity and Cognitive Styles in Children, page 73:
      The originals or the creatives were more dominant than the unoriginals or the low creatives.
  3. (archaic) An eccentric person.
    • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC ↗, part I, page 201 ↗:
      ‘Are you an alienist?’ I interrupted. ‘Every doctor should be - a little,’ answered that original, imperturbably.
  4. A newly designed garment released by a fashion designer as part of a collection.
  5. A ridgeling.
Translations Translations Translations

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