original

o·rig·i·nal / əˈrijənl/ • adj. 1. used or produced at the creation or earliest stage of something: costumes made from the original designs the plasterwork is probably original. ∎  present or existing at the beginning of a series or process; first: the original owner of the house. 2. created directly and personally by a particular artist; not a copy or imitation: original Rembrandts | playing original material. 3. not dependent on other people's ideas; inventive and unusual: a subtle and original thinker. • n. 1. something serving as a model or basis for imitations or copies: the portrait may be a copy of the original one set of originals and four photocopies. ∎  (the original) the form or language in which something was first produced or created: the study of Russian texts in the original. ∎  (the original of) a person or place on which a character or location in a literary work is based: the paper where the original of the play's Walter Burns worked. ∎  a song, picture, etc., produced by a performer or artist personally: a mix of traditional tunes and originals. ∎  a book or recording that has not been previously made available in a different form: paperback originals. ∎  a garment made to order from a design specially prepared for a fashion collection. 2. an eccentric or unusual person: he was one of the true originals.