originate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to take its origin or rise; begin; start; arise.
The practice originated during the Middle Ages.
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(of a train, bus, or other public conveyance) to begin a scheduled run at a specified place.
This train originates at Philadelphia.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to come or bring into being
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(intr) (of a bus, train, etc) to begin its journey at a specified point
Related Words
See discover.
Other Word Forms
- originable adjective
- origination noun
- originator noun
- self-originated adjective
- self-originating adjective
- self-origination noun
Etymology
Origin of originate
First recorded in 1645–55; probably back formation from origination (from French ), from Latin orīginātiō “etymology”; see origin, -ate 1, ion
Explanation
Originate is a verb that means to start or create something. You can originate the idea of adding a fancy new coffee machine to your company's break room, and before long, your entire office could be happily drinking mocha lattes. Originate is the place or point at which any new thing or idea starts. It usually doesn't end there, though. A carpet that originates in Turkey can travel all the way to an apartment in New York. A rumor can originate during first period, but by lunchtime it will have made its way around the entire high school.
Vocabulary lists containing originate
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Jumpstart Your Vocab: Synonyms for "Begin"
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Ten Words from Today's NY Times - June 6, 2012
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In fact, it is a family of cancers that originate in the bone marrow, then flow through the blood rather than form a single mass.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
Because all dystonias originate in the brain, treatments are challenging.
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026
Others have pointed out that the cost to pull a borrower’s credit records is a fraction of the cost to originate a mortgage.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
According to the researchers, these signals likely originate from dynamic rock fracturing processes that take place before an eruption.
From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026
Fencing didn’t originate as a sport; it was a method of defense used by soldiers in the military and against enemies at war.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
