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origin Definition

ori·gin (ôr′ə jin, är′-)

noun

  1. a coming into existence or use; beginning
  2. parentage; birth; lineage
  3. that in which something has its beginning; source; root; cause
  4. Anat. the less movable of the two points of attachment of a muscle, usually the end attached to the more rigid part of the skeleton
  5. Math.
    1. in a system of Cartesian coordinates, the point at which the axes intersect; base point where the abscissa and ordinate equal zero
    2. any zero reference point from which measurement begins

Etymology: ME origyne < MFr origine < L origo (gen. originis) < oriri, to rise: see orient

origin Synonyms

origin

n.

  1. The act of beginning

    rise, start, starting, genesis, alpha, commencement, outset, incipience, inception, initiation, nativity, dawn, introduction, embarkation, forging, entrance, ingress, entry, outbreak, onset, first move, first step, foundation, origination, authoring, ascent, first appearance, creation, induction, launching, inauguration, forming, fashioning, molding, devising, invention; see also birth 1.

    Antonyms end*, close, termination.

  2. The place or time of beginning

    source, root, beginning, inception, spring, issue, fountain, inlet, derivation, etymology, provenance, provenience, stem, shoot, twig, sapling, portal, door, gate, gateway, fountainhead, wellspring, springhead, font, fount, well, fons et origo (Latin), birthplace, square one*, omphalos, cradle, nest, womb, hotbed, reservoir, forge, dawn, infancy, babyhood, childhood, youth.

    Antonyms result*, outcome, issue.

  3. Cause

    seed, germ, stock, parentage, ancestry, parent, ancestor, genesis, raison d'être (French), egg, sperm, embryo, principle, element, nucleus, first cause, First Great Cause, author, creator, heart, prime mover, primum mobile (Latin), begetter, progenitor, producer, determinant, agent, leaven, mainspring, causality, causation, impulse, source, influence, prime motive, generator, ultimate cause, remote cause, occasion, root, first act, spring, antecedent, motive, inducement, activation, inspiration.

    Antonyms result*, consequence, conclusion.

origin is applied to that from which a person or thing has its very beginning the origin of a word; source is applied to the point or place from which something arises, comes, or develops the sun is our source of energy; beginning is the basic general term for a starting point or place the beginning of a quarrel; inception is specifically applied to the beginning of an undertaking, organization, etc. Smith headed the business from its inception; root suggests an origin so deep and basic as to be the ultimate cause from which something stems to get to the root of the matter

origin Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • universe: Problems with the Hot Big Bang Conventional ideas fail to explain or even describe the ultimate origin of the universe.
  • Christianity: From the way in which this is written, Tacitus did not claim firsthand knowledge of the origins of Christianity.
  • Freemasonry: This unique title is a result of the very different history and origin of Scottish Freemasonry.
  • trotskyism: Quoted in George Jan Lerski, Origins of Trotskyism in Ceylon, p26.
  • rhyme: There is no specific relevance to events in history for the origins of this rhyme.

Converse of object

  • trace: My principal interest at the moment is in tracing the origin of the family name.
  • disguise: However, transshipment is a growing concern with fraudsters breaking routes to disguise the origin of the goods.
  • explain: The opening address was given by Mrs Lynn Allen who set out the objectives and explained the Canadian origins.
  • indicate: This is the family name and indicates the Persian origin of the family.
  • suggest: There is however an old fort on the eastern shoulder, which would suggest an origin in caer, a fort.
  • explore: Pillar of the sky is her one excursion into prehistory so far which sets out to explore the origins of Stonehenge.

Adjective modifier

  • ethnic: JL: He should be sent back to his land of ethnic origin.
  • humble: He was a wonderful, able and private man full of humanity who never forgot his humble origins in the classless Rhonda valley.
  • unknown: Do not feed foreign honey or honey of unknown origin, which may contain AFB spores.
  • racial: One can only imagine what purpose it serves to investigate the racial origins of the ex-wife of an accused terrorist.
  • Asian: Only 10 % of the children registered with the GDS were of Asian ethnic origin compared with 54 % of those attending the CDS.
  • volcanic: From the azure seas that surround the island, the lush, fertile terrain quickly rises to a series of peaks of volcanic origin.

Modifies a noun

  • B2: The Origin B2 is feature rich with a number of different options available to the user.

Noun used with modifier

  • pagan: First, some object on the basis that Christmas trees have pagan origins.
  • Viking: York is an historic city of Roman and Viking origins.
origin Quotes

If the universe had a beginning, its beginning, by the very condition of the cases, was supernatural; the laws of Nature cannot account for their own origin.

—Mill,John Stuart

We must however acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities†still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.

—Darwin, Charles Robert

This sense of wonder is the mark of the philosopher. Philosophy indeed has no other origin.

—Socrates

Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.

—Wordsworth,William