origin

[ awr-i-jin, or- ]

/ ˈɔr ɪ dʒɪn, ˈɒr- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: origin / origins 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.

the point of derivation.
the more fixed portion of a muscle.

Mathematics.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR origin

1 root, foundation.

4 birth, linage, descent.

See synonyms for origin on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR origin

1 destination, end.

See antonyms for origin on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of origin

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin orīgin- (stem of orīgō) beginning, source, lineage, derivative of orīrī to rise; cf. orient

Words nearby origin

orig., origami, origan, origanum, Origen, origin, original, original equipment manufacturer, originalism, originality, originally

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use origin in a sentence

I think we can see Liz’s story is sort of an origin point for so many cultural themes today.
'We All Have to Create Our Own Universe.' Producer and Artist Zackary Drucker on Telling Nuanced Trans Stories|Suyin Haynes|February 8, 2021|Time
Its 2018 report, “Reclaiming Native Truth,” explored the perceptions that Americans have of Native people, the origins of those perceptions and the impact that the perceptions have on Native people, particularly children.
‘End racism,’ the NFL implored. So what about that Chiefs’ name?|Liz Clarke|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
In speaking with Parents for Peace, however, she began to think more about the origins of his views.
After Capitol riots, desperate families turn to groups that ‘deprogram’ extremists|Paulina Villegas, Hannah Knowles|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
The notion of centering my column on “new” revelations about the origins of the Pentagon Papers seemed to be collapsing.
Seeing the Pentagon Papers in a New Light|by Stephen Engelberg|February 3, 2021|ProPublica

The scenario involved one storm, with origins in the Pacific Ocean, that would race across the country, die out over Ohio, and then hand off its energy to a secondary storm developing off the Mid-Atlantic coast.
How an imperfect snowstorm forecast turned out mostly right|Jason Samenow|February 3, 2021|Washington Post
“The origin of Brokpas is lost in antiquity,” a research article from the University of Delhi notes.
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans|Nina Strochlic|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The mythic origin of the feast was the creation of the world by the god Marduk.
New Year’s Eve, Babylon Style|Candida Moss|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of the more notorious “green on blue” attacks have their origin in such outraged honor.
Afghanistan, We Hardly Knew You|Jonathan Foreman|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Black Alice and Strix have origin stories that more closely resemble the archetypal comic heroes.
Gail Simone’s Bisexual Catman and the ‘Secret Six’|Rich Goldstein|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The virus had to come from somewhere, but no one could figure out its origin.
Bats’ Link to Ebola Finally Solved|Carrie Arnold|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just corporeal enough to attest humanity, yet sufficiently transparent to let the celestial origin shine through.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
But not only has the name tobacco and the implements employed in its use caused much discussion but also the origin of the plant.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
A marked increase indicates some pathologic condition at the site of their origin.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
William King, archbishop of Dublin, died; author of a celebrated treatise on the origin of evil.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Carpenter were the leaders, and this is claimed to have been the origin of Mechanics' Institutes.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell

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

the end of a muscle, opposite its point of insertion
the beginning of a nerve or blood vessel or the site where it first starts to branch out

maths

the point of intersection of coordinate axes or planes
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

Scientific 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.

origin

OTHER WORDS FOR origin

OPPOSITES FOR origin

Origin of origin

Words nearby origin

Words related to origin

How to use origin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for origin

Word Origin for origin

Scientific definitions for origin