originality

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French originalité. Surface etymology is original +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˌɹɪdʒɪˈnælɪti/

Noun

originality (countable and uncountable, plural originalities)

1. (uncountable) The quality of being original or novel.
2. (uncountable) The capacity to think independently or be inventive.
   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society 2011, p. 132:

     Originality may be the capacity to look at the same facts and see new explanations.

3. (countable) Something original.

Translations

the quality of being original or novel

• Asturian: orixinalidá f
• Basque: originaltasun
• Catalan: originalitat (ca) f
• Finnish: omaperäisyys (fi), omintakeisuus (fi), omaleimaisuus (fi)
• French: originalité (fr) f
• Galician: orixinalidade (gl) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Originalität (de) f
• Italian: originalità (it) f
• Portuguese: originalidade (pt) f
• Romanian: originalitate (ro) f
• Russian: оригина́льность (ru) f (originálʹnostʹ), нова́торство (ru) n (novátorstvo)
• Spanish: originalidad (es) f

the capacity to think independently or be inventive

• German: Originalität (de) f
• Portuguese: originalidade (pt) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: originalitate (ro) f

something original

• Asturian: orixinalidá f
• Catalan: originalitat (ca) f
• German: Originalität (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: originalidade (pt) f
• Spanish: originalidad (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} originaleco
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} מקוריות (he) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} samobitnost (sh)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} originalidad (es) f

Further reading

• "originality" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 230.