Where does “original” come from?
Original comes from Middle English original, from Old French original, from Late Latin originalis meaning "of or pertaining to the origin," derived from Latin orior meaning "to rise or begin."
original (English): relating to the origin or beginning; preceding...
Definitions
- relating to the origin or beginning; preceding...
Ancestry of “original”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | original | original, primordial; preceding everything else;... |
| 2 | Old French | original | — |
| 3 | Latin | orīginālis | original |
| 4 | Latin | orīgō | commencement act, event or process of coming into existence: beginning, origination |
| 5 | Latin | -igo | Enlargement of -ō; Suffixed to nouns and to... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |