original

 
Pronunciation: /əˈrɪdʒɪn(ə)l, ɒ-/

adjective

  • 1present or existing from the beginning; first or earliest: the original owner of the house the plasterwork is probably original
  • 2created personally by a particular artist, writer, musician, etc.; not a copy: original Rembrandts
  • 3not dependent on other people’s ideas; inventive or novel: a subtle and original thinker

noun

  • 1the earliest form of something, from which copies may be made: the portrait may be a copy of the original one set of originals and four photocopies
  • (the original) the language in which something was first written: the study of Russian texts in the original
  • (the original of) a person or place on which a character or location in a literary work is based: the house is reputed to be the original of Mansfield Park
  • a book or recording that has not been previously made available in a different form: paperback originals
  • a garment made to order from a design specially prepared for a fashion collection: the designer has donated one of her amazing originals, a frothy pink evening dress
  • 2an eccentric or unusual person: he was one of the true originals

Origin:

Middle English (the earliest use being in the phrase original sin): from Old French, or from Latin originalis, from origin- (see origin)

Spelling help

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