origin — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The beginning of something.

   Examples

   place of origin

   trace the origin of something

   More examples (3)

   unknown origin

   The custom has its origin in ancient Greece.

   Scientists are studying the origin of the universe.

2. The source of a river, information, goods, etc.

   Synonyms

   source

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   It is clear that the origin of the truth would be an admirable criterion of this sort, if only the various origins could be discriminated from one another from this point of view, and the history of dogmatic opinion shows that origin has always been a favorite test. Origin in immediate intuition; origin in pontifical authority; origin in supernatural revelation, as by vision, hearing, or unaccountable impression; origin in direct possession by a higher spirit, expressing itself in prophecy and warning; origin in automatic utterance generally,—these origins have been stock warrants for the truth of one opinion after another which we find represented in religious history.

   Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.

3. The point at which the axes of a coordinate system intersect.

   Synonyms

   zero vector

4. The proximal end of attachment of a muscle to a bone that will not be moved by the action of that muscle.

5. An arbitrary point on Earth's surface, chosen as the zero for a system of coordinates.

6. Ancestry.

   Usage

   • in-plural

Noun

1. the place where something begins, where it springs into being

   Synonyms

   beginningrootrootagesource

   Broader terms

   point

   Examples

   the Italian beginning of the Renaissance

   Jupiter was the origin of the radiation

   More examples (2)

   Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River

   communism's Russian root

2. properties attributable to your ancestry

   Synonyms

   descentextraction

   Broader terms

   ancestrylineagederivationfiliation

   Examples

   he comes from good origins

3. an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events

   Synonyms

   originationinception

   Broader terms

   beginning

4. the point of intersection of coordinate axes; where the values of the coordinates are all zero

   Broader terms

   intersection

5. the source of something's existence or from which it derives or is derived

   Broader terms

   source

   Examples

   the rumor had its origin in idle gossip

   vegetable origins

   More examples (2)

   mineral origin

   origin in sensation

6. the hereditary derivation of an individual

   Synonyms

   lineagelineline of descentdescentbloodlineblood linebloodpedigreeancestryparentagestemmastock

   Broader terms

   genealogyfamily tree

   Examples

   his entire lineage has been warriors