originate

[ uh-rij-uh-neyt ]

/ əˈrɪdʒ əˌneɪt /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of originate

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

SYNONYMS FOR originate

3. See discover.

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Related forms

o·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, adjective

self-o·rig·i·nat·ing, adjectiveself-o·rig·i·na·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Now, this evil ground cannot originate in the Divine will; it must, therefore, be referred to the will of man.
The Worlds Greatest Books, Volume XIII.|Various

To originate a smash means more tasting than there is when there is no use in stewing more than has been put in there to stay.
Geography and Plays|Gertrude Stein
It may originate in the periosteum, or may spread thence from the marrow, or from synovial membrane.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
How marvelous too must be the alliance they form with those vivacious passions which originate the principal actions of our lives!
Memoir of John Howe Peyton|Various
The Master said: My function is to indicate rather than to originate.
The Sayings of Confucius|Confucius

British Dictionary definitions for originate

originate

/ (əˈrɪdʒɪˌneɪt) /

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

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.

Medicine definitions for originate

originate

[ ə-rĭj′ə-nāt′ ]

v.

To bring into being; create.

To come into being; start.

originate

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

verb (used with object), o·rig·i·nat·ed, o·rig·i·nat·ing.

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Origin of originate

Examples from the Web for originate

originate

verb

originate

originate

v.