orig.

Writing & Everyday abbreviation · Grammar and Dictionary

orig.
Stands forOriginally
CategoriesWriting & Everyday

orig. stands for Originally, a grammar and dictionary abbreviation.

Signals that a word or sense first belonged to a different meaning, place or group, as in "orig. US" or "orig. military slang." Dictionaries use it in definitions and etymologies.

Example: blockbuster (n.) a hugely successful film or book; orig. a large aerial bomb used in World War II

Usage notes

Notes like "orig. US" record how words spread; many Americanisms, such as "OK," are now international. The label differs from etym., which gives the full derivation. On price tags and product listings, "orig." means "original," as in "orig. $49.99," an unrelated everyday use.

More grammar and dictionary abbreviations

  • obs. – Obsolete
  • occas. – Occasionally
  • OE – Old English
  • OED – Oxford English Dictionary
  • OF – Old French
  • ON – Old Norse
  • part. – Participle
  • pass. – Passive
  • PIE – Proto-Indo-European
  • pl. – Plural
  • poet. – Poetic
  • POS – Part of speech

See all 93 grammar and dictionary abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.