You use original when referring to something that existed at the beginning of a process or activity, or the characteristics that something had when it began or was made.

An original document or work of art is not a copy.

An original piece of writing or music was written recently and has not been published or performed before.

If you describe someone or their work as original, you mean that they are very imaginative and have new ideas.

If something such as a document, a work of art, or a piece of writing is an original, it is not a copy or a later version.