original character

The initial and/or intended meaning or state of something, especially if it has changed over time. Please be sure to keep the original character of the statement you are paraphrasing. I have to translate this story, and I have no idea if I'm capturing its original character. The renovations were done in keeping with the original character of the building.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Lina	['li:nə]
Draven	DRAY-ven	Popular Culture
Achinoam	-	Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew
Gisela	-	German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese
Huff	[hʌf]
Eli (2)	-	Hebrew