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definitions

origin

[ awr-i-jin, or- ]
/ ˈɔr ɪ dʒɪn, ˈɒr- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR origin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead: to follow a stream to its origin.
rise or derivation from a particular source: the origin of a word.
the first stage of existence; beginning: the origin of Quakerism in America.
ancestry; parentage; extraction: to be of Scottish origin.
Anatomy.
  1. the point of derivation.
  2. the more fixed portion of a muscle.
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.

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RELATED WORDS

provenance, influence, element, motive, source, connection, ancestry, ancestor, root, genesis, birth, lineage, descent, embryo, producer, creator, spring, agent, seed, wellspring

Nearby words

  1. origami,
  2. origan,
  3. origanum,
  4. origanum oil,
  5. origen,
  6. origin of species, the,
  7. origin story,
  8. original,
  9. original equipment manufacturer,
  10. original gum

Origin of origin

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin orīgin- (stem of orīgō) beginning, source, lineage, derivative of orīrī to rise; cf. orient
ANTONYMS FOR origin
1. destination, end.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR origin ON THESAURUS.COM
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for origin

British Dictionary definitions for origin

origin

/ (ˈɒrɪdʒɪn) /

noun

a primary source; derivation
the beginning of something; first stage or part
(often plural) ancestry or parentage; birth; extraction
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
maths
  1. the point of intersection of coordinate axes or planes
  2. the point whose coordinates are all zeroSee also pole 2 (def. 8)
commerce the country from which a commodity or product originatesshipment from origin

Word Origin for origin

C16: from French origine, from Latin orīgō beginning, birth, from orīrī to rise, spring from
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for origin

origin

n.

c.1400, "ancestry, race," from Old French origine "origin, race," and directly from Latin originem (nominative origo) "a rise, commencement, beginning, source; descent, lineage, birth," from stem of oriri "to rise, become visible, appear" (see orchestra).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for origin

origin

[ ôr′ə-jĭn ]

n.

The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived.
The fact of originating; rise or derivation.
The point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction.
The starting point of a cranial or spinal nerve.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for origin

origin

[ ôr′ə-jĭn ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.