origin
[ awr-i-jin, or- ]
/ ˈɔr ɪ dʒɪn, ˈɒr- /
noun
something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead: to follow a stream to its origin.
rise or derivation from a particular source: the origin of a word.
the first stage of existence; beginning: the origin of Quakerism in America.
ancestry; parentage; extraction: to be of Scottish origin.
Anatomy.
- the point of derivation.
- the more fixed portion of a muscle.
Origin of origin
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin
orīgin- (stem of
orīgō) beginning, source, lineage, derivative of
orīrī to rise; cf.
orient
SYNONYMS FOR origin
Words nearby origin
Example sentences from the Web for origin
British Dictionary definitions for origin
origin
/ (ˈɒrɪdʒɪn) /
noun
a primary source; derivation
the beginning of something; first stage or part
(often plural)
ancestry or parentage; birth; extraction
anatomy
- the end of a muscle, opposite its point of insertion
- the beginning of a nerve or blood vessel or the site where it first starts to branch out
maths
- the point of intersection of coordinate axes or planes
- the point whose coordinates are all zeroSee also pole 2 (def. 8)
commerce
the country from which a commodity or product originates
shipment from origin
Word Origin for origin
C16: from French
origine, from Latin
orīgō beginning, birth, from
orīrī to rise, spring from
Medical definitions for origin
origin
[ ôr′ə-jĭn ]
n.
The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived.
The fact of originating; rise or derivation.
The point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction.
The starting point of a cranial or spinal nerve.
Scientific definitions for origin
origin
[ ôr′ə-jĭn ]
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.