/ Dictionary / Index O original: Meaning and Definition of Find definitions for: o•rig•i•nal Pronunciation: (u-rij'u-nl), [key] — adj. belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something, or to a thing at its beginning: The book still has its original binding. new; fresh; inventive; novel: an original way of advertising. arising or proceeding independently of anything else: an original view of history. capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner: an original thinker. created, undertaken, or presented for the first time: to give the original performance of a string quartet. being something from which a copy, a translation, or the like is made: The original document is in Washington. —n. a primary form or type from which varieties are derived. an original work, writing, or the like, as opposed to any copy or imitation: The original of this is in the British Museum. the person or thing represented by a picture, description, etc.: The original is said to have been the painter's own house. a person whose ways of thinking or acting are original: In a field of brilliant technicians he is a true original. an eccentric person. a source of being; an author or originator. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. See also: original (Thesaurus) origin original equipment manufacturer Related Content Daily Word Quiz: fidelity Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language