origin

[awr-i-jin, or-]

noun

1. something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead.

   to follow a stream to its origin.

   Synonyms: foundation, root
   Antonyms: end, destination

2. rise or derivation from a particular source.

   the origin of a word.

3. the first stage of existence; beginning.

   the origin of Quakerism in America.

4. ancestry; parentage; extraction.

   to be of Scottish origin.

   Synonyms: descent, linage, birth

5. Anatomy.

   1. the point of derivation.

   2. the more fixed portion of a muscle.

6. Mathematics.

   1. the point in a Cartesian coordinate system where the axes intersect.

   2. Also called pole. the point from which rays designating specific angles originate and are measured from in a polar coordinate system with no axes.

origin

/ ˈɒrɪdʒɪn /

noun

1. a primary source; derivation

2. the beginning of something; first stage or part

3. (often plural) ancestry or parentage; birth; extraction

4. anatomy

   1. the end of a muscle, opposite its point of insertion

   2. the beginning of a nerve or blood vessel or the site where it first starts to branch out

5. maths

   1. the point of intersection of coordinate axes or planes

   2. the point whose coordinates are all zero See also pole 2

6. commerce the country from which a commodity or product originates

   shipment from origin

origin

1. The point at which the axes of a Cartesian coordinate system intersect. The coordinates of the origin are (0,0) in two dimensions and (0,0,0) in three dimensions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of origin¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin orīgin-, stem of orīgō “beginning, source, lineage,” from or(īrī) “to rise” ( orient ) + -īgō, noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of origin¹

C16: from French origine, from Latin orīgō beginning, birth, from orīrī to rise, spring from

Example Sentences

Tell me the origin story of this casting.

From Los Angeles Times

California’s court fight to reign in the president’s use of troops in Los Angeles now hangs on a 19th century law with grim origins and a Spaghetti Western-sounding moniker.

From Los Angeles Times

The heart and soul of suites by Bach and Handel are often found in the slow, central sarabande, said to be a dance of Spanish origin.

From Los Angeles Times

The game's origins go back to 1992 as Championship Manager, before Sports Interactive launched Football Manager in 2004 after a split with its publisher.

From BBC

She said the agency has significantly expanded detention space in places such as Indiana and Nebraska and is working to rapidly remove detainees from those facilities to their countries of origin.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ancestor 
• ancestry 
• connection 
• element 
• influence 
• motive 
• provenance 
• root 
• source