original
German, adjective
original is spelled O-R-I-G-I-N-A-L (8 letters) and appears 43 times per million words in written German, the 1,972nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Original is a German adjective meaning “original” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Original is a different word: “original”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “ursprünglich, nicht nachgemacht, nicht imitiert”.
What does original mean in English?
adjective
- 1
original
adverb
- 1
colloquialreally, actually
noun
- 1
neuteroriginal
- 2
neutercharacter; original (one who is charismatic and funny, especially in a way considered typical of a region or a social group)
- 3
neutereccentric; zany person
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. erste Fassung eines Textes, Bildes oder Ähnliches 2. von einem Künstler geschaffenes, von anderen Leuten unangetastetes, unverändertes und nicht kopiertes Werk 3. Person mit eigenartigen, auffälligen Charaktereigenschaften 4. Modell für ein Gemälde
adjective: 1. ursprünglich, nicht nachgemacht, nicht imitiert
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of original
- originaler masculine nominative singular
- am originalsten superlative
- originale feminine nominative singular
- originales neuter nominative singular
- originalen genitive masculine singular
- originalem dative masculine singular
- der originale definite includes-article masculine
- die originale definite feminine includes-article
- das originale definite includes-article neuter
- die originalen definite includes-article nominative
- des originalen definite genitive includes-article
- der originalen definite feminine genitive
- dem originalen dative definite includes-article
- Orig. abbreviation
- Originale nominative plural
- Originals genitive singular
- Originalen dative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to original
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is original in German?
original appears 43 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).