original

See also: Original

English

Etymology

From Middle English original, from Old French original, from Late Latin originalis (“primitive, original”), from Latin origo (“beginning, source, origin”); see origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈɹɪdʒɪnəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

original (comparative more original, superlative most 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 or copies/versions.

   The original manuscript contained spelling errors which were fixed in later versions.

   This recording is by the original broadway cast.

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 as its origin.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, The China Governess^[1]:

     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, […].

   This kind of barbecue is original to North Carolina.

Synonyms

• (first in series) initial
• autograph
• prototype

Antonyms

• copy
• derivative
• reproduction
• simile

Derived terms

• originally
• original sin

Related terms

• origin
• originality
• originate
• originative
• aboriginal

Translations

relating to the origin or beginning

• French: originel (fr)
• Ngazidja Comorian: -a aswili

• Spanish: original (es)

first in a series

• Arabic: أصْلِيّ (ʾaṣliyy)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原 (zh) (yuán), 原始 (zh) (yuánshǐ)

• Czech: původní (cs)
• Dutch: origineel (nl), oorspronkelijk (nl)
• Finnish: alkuperäinen (fi), ensimmäinen (fi)
• French: original (fr)
• German: original (de)
• Greek: αρχικός (el) m (archikós) (archikós)
• Hungarian: eredeti (hu)
• Italian: originale (it)
• Japanese: 本来の (ja) (ほんらいの, honrai no)

• Korean: 최초의 (ko) (choecho-ui)
• Persian: اصلی (fa) (asli), اریژینال (orižinâl)
• Portuguese: original (pt)
• Russian: первоначальный (ru) (pervonačál’nyj), первичный (ru) (pervíčnyj), исходный (ru) (isxódnyj), оригинальный (ru) (originálʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: tùsail
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: самобитан, првобитни

  Roman: samobitan, prvobitni

• Spanish: original (es)
• Swahili: halisi (sw)
• Swedish: original-

newly created

• Bengali: অপূর্ব
• Dutch: origineel (nl), oorspronkelijk (nl)
• Finnish: tuore (fi), alkuperäinen (fi)
• German: original (de)
• Greek: αρχικός (el) m (archikós) (archikós)
• Russian: новый (ru) (nóvyj), свежий (ru) (svéžij)

• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: самобитан, нов

  Roman: samobitan, nov

• Spanish: original (es)
• Swahili: halisi (sw)

fresh, different

• Bengali: অপূর্ব
• Dutch: origineel (nl), oorspronkelijk (nl)
• Finnish: tuore (fi), omaperäinen (fi), originelli (fi), omintakeinen
• German: originell (de)
• Greek: αρχικός (el) m (archikós)
• Russian: свежий (ru) (svéžij), своеобразный (ru) (svojeobráznyj), оригинальный (ru) (originálʹnyj)

• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: свеж

  Roman: svež

• Spanish: original (es)
• Swahili: halisi (sw)
• Swedish: originell (sv)

pioneering

• Dutch: origineel (nl), vernieuwend (nl)
• Finnish: alkuperäinen (fi), ensimmäinen (fi)
• German: ursprünglich (de)

• Greek: πρωτοποριακός (el) m (protoporiakós)
• Spanish: original (es)
• Swahili: halisi (sw)

having as its origin

• Dutch: afkomstig (nl)
• Finnish: peräisin
• German: ursprünglich (de)
• Maori: taketake

• Scottish Gaelic: tùsail
• Spanish: original (es)
• Swahili: halisi (sw)
• Swedish: ursprunglig (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: origina
• French: original (fr) m, originale f
• Italian: originale m, f
• Japanese: 元の (はじめの, hajime no)

• Korean: 원래 (wollae)
• Portuguese: original m, f
• Spanish: original m, f
• Swedish: original- (1), ursprunglig (1), originell (3),

Noun

original (plural originals)

1. An object or other creation (e.g. narrative work) from which all later copies and variations are derived

   This manuscript is the original

2. A person with a unique and interesting personality and/or creative talent

   You’re an original

3. (archaic) An eccentric

Synonyms

• autograph
• prototype

Antonyms

• copy
• remake
• reproduction

Translations

object from which all later copies and variations are derived

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原作 (zh) (yuánzuò), (text) 原文 (zh) (yuánwén), 原物 (zh) (yuánwù), 本來, 本来 (zh) (běnlái), 原著 (zh) (yuánzhù)

• Dutch: origineel (nl) n
• Finnish: alkuperäiskappale, originaali (fi)
• French: original (fr) m
• German: Original (de) n, (text) Urschrift f
• Greek: πρωτότυπο (el) n (protótypo) (protótypo)
• Icelandic: frumeintak n, (informal) orginall m, (only of writing) frumrit (is) n

• Japanese: 原作 (ja) (げんさく, gensaku), (text) 原文 (ja) (げんぶん, genbun), 原物 (げんぶつ, genbutsu)
• Russian: оригинал (ru) m (originál), первоисточник (ru) m (pervoistóčnik), (text) исходный текст m (isxódnyj tekst)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: изворник m, оригинал m

  Roman: izvornik m, original m

• Spanish: original (es) m
• Swahili: halisi (sw)

person with a unique and interesting personality and/or creative talent

• Dutch: unicum n
• Finnish: ainutlaatuinen ihminen, originelli persoona
• Russian: оригинал (ru) m (originál)

• Spanish: único (es) m
• Swahili: halisi (sw)

archasm for an excentric — see eccentric

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: 原物 (yuánwù)
• Crimean Tatar: öz
• French: original m
• German: Vorlage f (1), Original n (1,2,3)
• Italian: originale m
• Japanese: 原物 (hanbutsu)
• Korean: 고유 (goyu)
• Latin: originalis
• Portuguese: original m
• Spanish: original m
• Swedish: original n (1, 2, 3), förlaga c

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: quickly · lie · supposed · #816: original · provide · determined · month

External links

• original in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• original in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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French

Etymology

Latin originalis, from origo 'origin'

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.ʁi.ʒi.nal/

Adjective

original m (feminine originale, masculine plural originaux, feminine plural originales)

1. original

Related terms

• originaire
• originalité
• origine
• originel
• en original

Antonyms

• banal
• copié
• reproduit
• vulgaire

Noun

original m (plural originaux)

1. An unusual or eccentric person
2. An original manuscript

Synonyms

• (manuscript) autographe m

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German

Adjective

original (comparative originaler, superlative am originalsten)

1. original

Related terms

• Original n
• Originalität

Declension

Positive forms of original

gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist original	sie ist original	es ist original	sie sind original
strong declension (without article)	nominative	originaler	originale	originales	originale
	genitive	originalen	originaler	originalen	originaler
	dative	originalem	originaler	originalem	originalen
	accusative	originalen	originale	originales	originale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der originale	die originale	das originale	die originalen
	genitive	des originalen	der originalen	des originalen	der originalen
	dative	dem originalen	der originalen	dem originalen	den originalen
	accusative	den originalen	die originale	das originale	die originalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein originaler	eine originale	ein originales	(keine) originalen
	genitive	eines originalen	einer originalen	eines originalen	(keiner) originalen
	dative	einem originalen	einer originalen	einem originalen	(keinen) originalen
	accusative	einen originalen	eine originale	ein originales	(keine) originalen

Comparative forms of original

gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist originaler	sie ist originaler	es ist originaler	sie sind originaler
strong declension (without article)	nominative	originalerer	originalere	originaleres	originalere
	genitive	originaleren	originalerer	originaleren	originalerer
	dative	originalerem	originalerer	originalerem	originaleren
	accusative	originaleren	originalere	originaleres	originalere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der originalere	die originalere	das originalere	die originaleren
	genitive	des originaleren	der originaleren	des originaleren	der originaleren
	dative	dem originaleren	der originaleren	dem originaleren	den originaleren
	accusative	den originaleren	die originalere	das originalere	die originaleren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein originalerer	eine originalere	ein originaleres	(keine) originaleren
	genitive	eines originaleren	einer originaleren	eines originaleren	(keiner) originaleren
	dative	einem originaleren	einer originaleren	einem originaleren	(keinen) originaleren
	accusative	einen originaleren	eine originalere	ein originaleres	(keine) originaleren

Superlative forms of original

gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am originalsten	sie ist am originalsten	es ist am originalsten	sie sind am originalsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	originalster	originalste	originalstes	originalste
	genitive	originalsten	originalster	originalsten	originalster
	dative	originalstem	originalster	originalstem	originalsten
	accusative	originalsten	originalste	originalstes	originalste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der originalste	die originalste	das originalste	die originalsten
	genitive	des originalsten	der originalsten	des originalsten	der originalsten
	dative	dem originalsten	der originalsten	dem originalsten	den originalsten
	accusative	den originalsten	die originalste	das originalste	die originalsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein originalster	eine originalste	ein originalstes	(keine) originalsten
	genitive	eines originalsten	einer originalsten	eines originalsten	(keiner) originalsten
	dative	einem originalsten	einer originalsten	einem originalsten	(keinen) originalsten
	accusative	einen originalsten	eine originalste	ein originalstes	(keine) originalsten

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oriɡǐnaːl/
• Hyphenation: o‧ri‧gi‧nal

Noun

origìnāl m (Cyrillic spelling оригѝна̄л)

1. original

Declension

    declension of original

	singular	plural
nominative	origìnāl	originali
genitive	originála	originala
dative	originalu	originalima
accusative	original	originale
vocative	originale	originali
locative	originalu	originalima
instrumental	originalom	originalima

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Spanish

Adjective

original m, f (plural originales)

1. original

Related terms

• originalmente
• originalidad
• origen
• originar
• originario