Original Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms original American [uh-rij-uh-nl] / əˈrɪdʒ ə nl /

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something, or to a thing at its beginning.

   The book still has its original binding.

   Synonyms: primitive, primeval, primordial, primary

2. new; fresh; inventive; novel.

   an original way of advertising.

3. arising or proceeding independently of anything else.

   an original view of history.

4. capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner.

   an original thinker.

5. created, undertaken, or presented for the first time.

   to give the original performance of a string quartet.

6. being something from which a copy, a translation, or the like is made.

   The original document is in Washington.

noun

1. a primary form or type from which varieties are derived.

   Synonyms: model, prototype, pattern, archetype Antonyms: copy

2. an original work, writing, or the like, as opposed to any copy or imitation.

   The original of this is in the British Museum.

3. the person or thing represented by a picture, description, etc..

   The original is said to have been the painter's own house.

4. a person whose ways of thinking or acting are original.

   In a field of brilliant technicians he is a true original.

5. Archaic. an eccentric person.

6. Archaic. a source of being; an author or originator.

original British / əˈrɪdʒɪnəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an origin or beginning

2. fresh and unusual; novel

3. able to think of or carry out new ideas or concepts

4. being that from which a copy, translation, etc, is made

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. the first and genuine form of something, from which others are derived

2. a person or thing used as a model in art or literature

3. a person whose way of thinking is unusual or creative

4. an unconventional or strange person

5. the first form or occurrence of something

6. an archaic word for originator See originator

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• nonoriginal adjective
• nonoriginally adverb
• preoriginal adjective
• preoriginally adverb
• quasi-original adjective
• quasi-originally adverb
• unoriginal adjective
• unoriginally adverb

Etymology

Origin of original

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin orīginālis (adjective) and Medieval Latin orīgināle “original document” (noun use of neuter adjective), equivalent to orīgin- “beginning, source” + -ālis adjective suffix; origin, -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That stone now sits in an altar at St Davids Cathedral, built on the site of his original monastery.

From BBC

“Even after considering the preferred equity component in our original Heinz investment, our return has been well short of adequate.”

From MarketWatch

When trusts distribute assets to beneficiaries, those assets are valued at the original purchase price, not the fair market value on the date the trust makes its distribution.

From Barron's

Suppose the original manufacturer of the sofa sold it for $200 to the trading company, which then marked it up to $300.

From The Wall Street Journal

The band got to work at Brother recording “15 Big Ones,” which featured a mix of Wilson originals and covers of oldies like “Chapel of Love” and “Blueberry Hill.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• creative
• imaginative
• innovative
• inventive
• seminal
• unconventional
• unusual

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.