originate

[ uh-rij-uh-neyt ]
See synonyms for: originateoriginatedoriginatesoriginating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),o·rig·i·nat·ed, o·rig·i·nat·ing.
  1. to take its origin or rise; begin; start; arise: The practice originated during the Middle Ages.

  2. (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.
  1. to give origin or rise to; initiate; invent: to originate a better method.

Origin of originate

1
First recorded in 1645–55; probably back formation from origination (from French ), from Latin orīginātiō “etymology”; see origin, -ate1, ion

synonym study For originate

3. See discover.

Other words from originate

  • o·rig·i·na·ble [uh-rij-uh-nuh-buhl], /əˈrɪdʒ ə nə bəl/, adjective
  • o·rig·i·na·tion, noun
  • o·rig·i·na·tor, noun
  • self-o·rig·i·nat·ed, adjective
  • self-o·rig·i·nat·ing, adjective
  • self-o·rig·i·na·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use originate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for originate

originate

/ (əˈrɪdʒɪˌneɪt) /


verb
  1. to come or bring into being

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

Derived forms of originate

  • origination, noun
  • originator, 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