# original

Pronunciation: say "uh-RIJ-i-nuhl" /əˈɹɪd͡ʒɪnəl/

## Adjective

1. Existing from the beginning or earliest stage; first, or belonging to something since it was first made or built.
   - Simple: There from the very start. The first one, not added or changed later.
   - _The original inhabitants of the valley fished these rivers for thousands of years._
   - _Scholars still debate the original meaning of the ancient inscription._
2. Being the first in a series of copies or versions; not itself copied from anything earlier.
   - Simple: Being the first one, made before any copies or new versions.
   - _Compare each copy against the original document before filing it._
   - _The original recording sounds warmer than any of the later remasters._
3. Newly created, rather than copied or adapted from something that already existed.
   - Simple: Newly made, not copied from anything that already exists.
   - _Contest rules require every entry to be original work rather than an adaptation._
   - _The streaming service invests heavily in original programming._
5. Fresh and different; unlike the usual or familiar versions of something.
   - Simple: New and different from what people usually see, hear, or do.
   - _Critics praised the novel's original take on a familiar story._
   - _Her style is effortlessly original, mixing thrift-store finds with formal tailoring._
6. Pioneering; being the first to explore an idea, method, or field.
   - Simple: Doing or thinking something first, before anyone else has done it.
   - _Darwin's original work on island species reshaped the study of biology._
   - _Her original studies of chimpanzee behavior opened a field that hundreds of researchers now pursue._
7. Of a product variety, especially a snack food: the standard version with no added flavors, which for chips usually means seasoned only with salt.
   - Simple: Of a food or drink, the plain, usual kind with no extra flavors added.
   - _Reviewers ranked the original pretzels above every seasoned variety._
   - _Given the choice between barbecue and original, she always picks original._

## Noun

4. An authentic object or creative work made by its creator rather than copied, often serving as the model for later versions.
   - Simple: The actual thing made by its creator, rather than a copy, including an artist's work or a designer's garment.
   - _Every print in the gallery is numbered, but the original hangs in the artist's studio._
   - _Forgers study originals for years before attempting an imitation._
8. A person who is strikingly different from others in character, ideas, or behavior, often in an eccentric way.
   - Simple: A person who is very unusual and not like anyone else.
   - _Grandpa was a true original, showing up to every wedding in cowboy boots and a tuxedo._
   - _In an industry full of imitators, she remains an original._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A male animal, especially a horse, whose testicles have not descended; a ridgeling.

## Origin

Latin orīgō ("beginning, source, origin") gave Late Latin orīginālis ("primitive, original"), which passed into Old French and then Middle English, both as original.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/original (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).