origin
nounUK /ˈɒɹ.ɪ.d͡ʒɪn/ · CA, US /ˈoɹ.ɪ.d͡ʒɪn/
Etymology From Middle English origine, origyne, from Old French origine, orine, ourine, from Latin orīgō (“beginning, source, birth, origin”), from orior (“to rise”); see orient. Doublet of origo.
1
The beginning of something.
- place of origin
- trace the origin of something
3 more examples
- 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.
- 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.1902, William James, “Lecture I”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC:
- 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.2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37:
3
Mathematics, Sciences The point at which the axes of a coordinate system intersect.
5
Cartography, Geography, Natural sciences An arbitrary point on Earth's surface, chosen as the zero for a system of coordinates.
6
In plural Ancestry.
- Synonyms
- beginning
- Antonyms
- end, destination, insertion
- Derived terms
- cross-origin, interorigin, originable, original, originate, origination, originator, originless, origin myth, origin of coordinates, origin story, preorigin, same-origin policy, time of origin
- Related terms
- orient, provenance