original
[ uh-rij-uh-nl ]
/ əˈrɪdʒ ə nl /
Save This Word!
adjective
noun
SYNONYMS FOR original
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Origin of original
historical usage of original
English original comes from Anglo-French and Middle French from Old French originel “innate, by birth, by nature.” (The 14th-century term original sin “the innate human tendency to evil” is a translation from the phrase in Old French.) The French forms come from the Latin adjective orīginālis “existing at or marking the beginning,” and in Late Latin meaning “primitive.”
Orīginālis is a derivative of the noun orīgō (inflectional stem orīgin- ) “beginning, first appearance, starting point.” Orīgō is a compound whose main element is the verb orīrī “(of the sun or moon) to rise, get out of bed, begin (an activity), sprout, spring up.” The present participle of orīrī is oriēns (inflectional stem orient- ) “the rising sun, daybreak, the east,” and is the ultimate source of English orient.
The earliest sense of original was “belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something”; the meaning “new, inventive, novel” dates from the mid-18th century.
Orīginālis is a derivative of the noun orīgō (inflectional stem orīgin- ) “beginning, first appearance, starting point.” Orīgō is a compound whose main element is the verb orīrī “(of the sun or moon) to rise, get out of bed, begin (an activity), sprout, spring up.” The present participle of orīrī is oriēns (inflectional stem orient- ) “the rising sun, daybreak, the east,” and is the ultimate source of English orient.
The earliest sense of original was “belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something”; the meaning “new, inventive, novel” dates from the mid-18th century.
OTHER WORDS FROM original
Words nearby original
origan, origanum, origanum oil, Origen, origin, original, original equipment manufacturer, originality, originally, original sin, originate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for original
British Dictionary definitions for original
original
/ (əˈrɪdʒɪnəl) /
adjective
noun
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