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

/ ôr′ə-jĭn /

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

But he questioned what work the Scottish government was doing to identify foreign inmates, speaking to their countries of origin and exploring options to return them there to see out the remainder of their sentence.

From BBC

Most interestingly, human listeners perceived the sound of the Aztec death whistle to be partly of natural and organic origin, like a human voice or scream.

From Science Daily

All of these infections occurred in farmworkers who came into contact with infected cows or poultry, except one case in Missouri in which health officials could not track the origins of the infection.

From Salon

This breakthrough reshapes our understanding of the genetic origins of stem cells, offering a new perspective on the evolutionary ties between animals and their ancient single-celled relatives.

From Science Daily

The film is an adaptation of the stage musical which tells the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.

From BBC

Related Words

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