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

Whatever their origin, countering the drones is not going to be easy.

Read more on Barron's

Crucially, however, there is much ambiguity stemming from Islam’s origins.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Smithsonian’s origins were not in the United States at all.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Barry Josephson, a Hollywood producer whose home near the fire’s origin was among a few spared total destruction, said “it’s very satisfying that a culprit will be brought to justice.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As kids, the newest startup generation watched the Facebook origin story, “The Social Network,” carried iPhones as soon as they could read and wrote code as teens.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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