origin

American  

[awr-i-jin, or-] / ˈɔr ɪ dʒɪn, ˈɒr- /

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.

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origin British  

/ 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

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origin Scientific  

/ 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.

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Etymology

Origin of origin

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin orīgin-, stem of orīgō “beginning, source, lineage,” from or(īrī) “to rise” ( cf. orient) + -īgō, noun suffix

Explanation

An origin is a start. You could say that the origin of yoga was in India, since that's where the practice began, or that the origin of the strawberries in the market is Mexico, since they were grown there. If your best friend asks you about the origin of your fear of mariachi bands, it means that she wants to know where your phobia came from. Your ancestry is another kind of origin — you might mention your Eastern European origin if that's where your ancestors came from. The root, start, or birth of something is its origin. The origin of the word origin is the Latin word originem, meaning "rise, beginning, or source."

Example Sentences

To assess those flows, Kpler combined two terminal views: Mideast Gulf crude transits via the Strait of Hormuz, excluding Iran, and Gulf of Oman crude exports of unknown origin.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The author also discusses molecular cooperation and co-evolution during the earliest stages of life's emergence, as well as additional physical perspectives on the OoL, including ideas related to the chiral origin of biomolecules.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

He had a heart-tugging origin story that saw him transform from a has-been television star into one of the thousands of residents who lost their home in last year’s Palisades fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

This is a memoir, and Thayil spends a reasonable amount of pages opening up about his family of origin, his childhood and the place he grew up.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

The origin of species is an object of inquiry.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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