original
n. countablen. the first version of something, like a document or a painting, from which copies are made. You use this word to talk about the real thing rather than a photo or a print.
n. the earliest version of a document, artwork, or object from which copies, reproductions, or translations are derived.
Please keep the original and send us a copy.
The museum displays the original painting while the gift shop sells high-quality paper prints to visitors.
While the digital restoration is visually impressive, it lacks the tactile history and subtle color depth found only in the physical original housed in the national archives.
From Middle English original, from Old French original, from Late Latin orīginālis (“primitive, original”), from Latin orīgō (“beginning, source, origin”); see origin.
Often used with the definite article 'the' to distinguish a primary source from its reproductions.