originate

[uh-rij-uh-neyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR originate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), o·rig·i·nat·ed, o·rig·i·nat·ing.

to take its origin or rise; begin; start; arise: The practice originated during the Middle Ages.

(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), o·rig·i·nat·ed, o·rig·i·nat·ing.

to give origin or rise to; initiate; invent: to originate a better method.

Origin of originate

1645–55; probably back formation from origination (< F) < Latin orīginātiō etymology; see origin, -ate¹, ion

Related formso·rig·i·na·ble

[uh-rij-uh-nuh-buh l] /əˈrɪdʒ ə nə bəl/, adjectiveo·rig·i·na·tion, nouno·rig·i·na·tor, nounself-o·rig·i·nat·ed, adjectiveself-o·rig·i·nat·ing, adjectiveself-o·rig·i·na·tion, noun

Synonyms for originate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR originate ON THESAURUS.COM

3. See discover.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for originate

derive, emerge, emanate, stem, arise, spawn, evolve, develop, conceive, discover, invent, initiate, produce, hatch, found, spark, generate, proceed, issue, rise

Examples from the Web for originate

Contemporary Examples of originate

But where do air pollutants in northern China, in particular Beijing, originate?
The Chinese Can’t Catch Their Breath
Brendon Hong
May 5, 2014
And aside from that, it was likely unconstitutional because bills that raise revenue must originate in the House.
Republicans' Cynical Oil Payoff
Michael Tomasky
May 17, 2011
He is the most public face attached to policies he facilitated but did not originate.
Last Chance to Get the Bushies
Scott Horton
March 9, 2009

Historical Examples of originate

This was a moment of exquisite satisfaction; but whence did it originate?
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
Such whims are only impressive as we originate them, I think; they are not to be communicated.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
By whom were they exhibited, or with whom did they originate?
Imogen
William Godwin
Inflammations of the body come from burnings and inflamings, and all of them originate in bile.
Timaeus
Plato
But from what quarter is this universal empire in Europe to originate?
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IX
Various

British Dictionary definitions for originate

originate

verb

to come or bring into being

(intr) US and Canadian (of a bus, train, etc) to begin its journey at a specified point

Derived Formsorigination, nounoriginator, noun

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 originate

1650s, probably a back-formation of origination. In earliest reference it meant "to trace the origin of;" meaning "to bring into existence" is from 1650s; intransitive sense of "to come into existence" is from 1775. Related: Originated; originating.

originate in Medicine

originate

[ə-rĭj′ə-nāt′]

v.

To bring into being; create.

To come into being; start.