What does 元 (moto | もと) mean in Japanese?

The Japanese word

火元は明らかでない。
himoto wa akiraka de nai.
The origin of the fire is unknown.

彼って元ＦＢＩなんだよ。
kare tte moto efubīai nan da yo.
He's former FBI.

私はその噂の元は知りません。
watashi wa sono uwasa no moto wa shiri masen.
I don't know the origin of the rumor.

彼女の髪は元の長さまで伸びた。
kanojo no kami wa moto no naga sa made nobi ta.
Her hair grew back. | Her hair grew back to it's original length.

彼は写しを元のものと比較してみた。
kare wa utsushi o moto no mono to hikaku shi te mi ta.
He compared the copy with the original.

彼の写しを元のものと比較してみた。
kare no utsushi o moto no mono to hikaku shi te mi ta.
He compared the copy with the original.

会社は元会計を相手取って訴訟を起こした。
kaisha wa moto kaikei o aitedotte soshō o okoshi ta.
The company took action against its former accountant.

某連盟元会長が背任の容疑で逮捕されました。
bō renmei moto kaichō ga hainin no yōgi de taiho sa re mashi ta.
The former president of a certain association has been arrested on suspicion of breach of trust.

元総理大臣の鈴木氏が、委員会の議長になるだろう。
moto sōri daijin no suzuki shi ga, īn kai no gichō ni naru daro u.
Mr Suzuki, who is a former Prime Minister, will be chairman of the committee.

話を元にもどしますと。昨日レポートを東京に向けて送り出しました。
hanashi o moto ni modoshi masu to. kinō repōto o tōkyō ni muke te okuridashi mashi ta.
To get back to my original point, yesterday I sent the report off to Tokyo.

自爆テロ犯はベナジル・ブット元首相に向けて発砲したが、弾はそれた。
jibaku tero han wa benajiru.butto moto jushō ni muke te happō shi ta ga, tama wa sore ta.
The suicide bomber fired towards former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but missed.

２００６年９月の軍事クーデターで失脚、事実上亡命中だったタイのタクシン元首相が２８日、約１年半ぶりに帰国した。
ni zero zero roku nen kugatsu no gunji kūdetā de shikkyaku, jijitsu jō bōmei chū datta tai no takushin moto jushō ga ni hachi nichi, yaku ichi nen han buri ni kikoku shi ta.
Deposed in a military coup in September 2006 and having effectively been in exile, the Former premier of Thailand Thaksin has returned after about a year and a half.

	The Japanese word
	元
	is pronounced
	moto \| もと
	means
	origin, original; former

	Examples:
	火元は明らかでない。 himoto wa akiraka de nai. The origin of the fire is unknown.
	彼って元ＦＢＩなんだよ。 kare tte moto efubīai nan da yo. He's former FBI.
	私はその噂の元は知りません。 watashi wa sono uwasa no moto wa shiri masen. I don't know the origin of the rumor.
	彼女の髪は元の長さまで伸びた。 kanojo no kami wa moto no naga sa made nobi ta. Her hair grew back. \| Her hair grew back to it's original length.
	彼は写しを元のものと比較してみた。 kare wa utsushi o moto no mono to hikaku shi te mi ta. He compared the copy with the original.
	彼の写しを元のものと比較してみた。 kare no utsushi o moto no mono to hikaku shi te mi ta. He compared the copy with the original.
	会社は元会計を相手取って訴訟を起こした。 kaisha wa moto kaikei o aitedotte soshō o okoshi ta. The company took action against its former accountant.
	某連盟元会長が背任の容疑で逮捕されました。 bō renmei moto kaichō ga hainin no yōgi de taiho sa re mashi ta. The former president of a certain association has been arrested on suspicion of breach of trust.
	元総理大臣の鈴木氏が、委員会の議長になるだろう。 moto sōri daijin no suzuki shi ga, īn kai no gichō ni naru daro u. Mr Suzuki, who is a former Prime Minister, will be chairman of the committee.
	話を元にもどしますと。昨日レポートを東京に向けて送り出しました。 hanashi o moto ni modoshi masu to. kinō repōto o tōkyō ni muke te okuridashi mashi ta. To get back to my original point, yesterday I sent the report off to Tokyo.
	自爆テロ犯はベナジル・ブット元首相に向けて発砲したが、弾はそれた。 jibaku tero han wa benajiru.butto moto jushō ni muke te happō shi ta ga, tama wa sore ta. The suicide bomber fired towards former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but missed.
	２００６年９月の軍事クーデターで失脚、事実上亡命中だったタイのタクシン元首相が２８日、約１年半ぶりに帰国した。 ni zero zero roku nen kugatsu no gunji kūdetā de shikkyaku, jijitsu jō bōmei chū datta tai no takushin moto jushō ga ni hachi nichi, yaku ichi nen han buri ni kikoku shi ta. Deposed in a military coup in September 2006 and having effectively been in exile, the Former premier of Thailand Thaksin has returned after about a year and a half.

	Examples sourced from tatoeba.org