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originate

[uh-rij-uh-neyt]
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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.
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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.
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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

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3. See discover.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

discovererdesignerproducerfounderauthorfatherpioneerarchitectmotherinventormastermindmakerinnovatorinitiatorbegetter

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British Dictionary definitions for originator

originate

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
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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 originator

n.

1818, agent noun in Latin form from originate.

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originate

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
originator in Medicine

originate

(ə-rĭj′ə-nāt′)
v.
  1. To bring into being; create.
  2. To come into being; start.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.