originality

English

Etymology

From French originalité. By surface analysis, original +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˌɹɪd͡ʒɪˈnælɪti/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

originality (countable and uncountable, plural originalities)

1. (uncountable) The quality of being original or novel.
   • 1946 March and April, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, pages 105–106:

     The space at my disposal does not permit me to go into Mr. Bulleid's paper in detail, but it is impossible to refrain from an expression of admiration at the originality that has been packed into this outstanding design.

2. (uncountable) The capacity to think independently or be inventive.
   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 132:

     Originality may be the capacity to look at the same facts and see new explanations.

3. (countable) Something original.
   • 2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: The Railway Heritage Trust Conservation Award: Newcastle Central”, in RAIL, number 946, page 59:

     This houses a waiting room and gentlemen's toilets which, despite some new sanitary fittings in early BR days, fell out of use over 40 years ago, becoming dilapidated - and so remained as the only room on the station to retain its originality.

4. (uncountable) The original state or condition of a thing.
   • 2024 October 12, @bykarthikreddy, Twitter‎^[1]:

     Church Street has been reclaimed from vendors who had encroached every bit of pedestrian walk. BBMP evicted more than 70 of them and restored to its originality.

Derived terms

• threshold of originality

 

Translations

the quality of being original or novel

• Asturian: orixinalidá f
• Basque: originaltasun
• Belarusian: арыгіна́льнасць f (aryhinálʹnascʹ)
• Bulgarian: оригиналност (bg) f (originalnost)
• Catalan: originalitat (ca) f
• Finnish: omaperäisyys (fi), omintakeisuus (fi), omaleimaisuus (fi)
• French: originalité (fr) f
• Galician: orixinalidade (gl) f
• German: Originalität (de) f
• Hebrew: מקוריות (he) f (mekoriyút)
• Hungarian: eredetiség (hu)
• Italian: originalità (it) f
• Occitan: originalitat (oc) f
• Polish: oryginalność (pl) f
• Portuguese: originalidade (pt) f
• Romanian: originalitate (ro) f
• Russian: оригина́льность (ru) f (originálʹnostʹ), нова́торство (ru) n (novátorstvo)
• Spanish: originalidad (es) f
• Tagalog: orihinalidad
• Turkish: orijinalite (tr)
• Ukrainian: оригіна́льність f (oryhinálʹnistʹ)

the capacity to think independently or be inventive

• Bulgarian: оригиналност (bg) f (originalnost)
• German: Originalität (de) f
• Hebrew: מקוריות (he) f (mekoriyút), חדשנות (he) f (khadshanút)
• Portuguese: originalidade (pt) f
• Romanian: originalitate (ro) f
• Tagalog: orihinalidad
• Turkish: özgünlük (tr), orijinalite (tr)

something original

• Asturian: orixinalidá f
• Catalan: originalitat (ca) f
• German: Originalität (de) f
• Portuguese: originalidade (pt) f
• Spanish: originalidad (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} originaleco
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} bunúlacht f
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} samobitnost (sh) ?
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} originalidad (es) f

Further reading

• "originality" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 230.