origin

[awr-i-jin, or-] /ˈɔr ɪ dʒɪn, ˈɒr-/
noun
1.
something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead:
to follow a stream to its origin.
2.
rise or derivation from a particular source:
the origin of a word.
3.
the first stage of existence; beginning:
the origin of Quakerism in America.
4.
ancestry; parentage; extraction:
to be of Scottish origin.
5.
Anatomy.
  1. the point of derivation.
  2. the more fixed portion of a muscle.
6.
Mathematics.
  1. the point in a Cartesian coordinate system where the axes intersect.
  2. Also called pole. the point from which rays designating specific angles originate in a polar coordinate system with no axes.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin orīgin- (stem of orīgō) beginning, source, lineage, derivative of orīrī to rise; cf. orient
Synonyms
1. root, foundation. 4. birth, lineage, descent.
Antonyms
1. destination, end.
Examples from the web for origin
  • Searching for their origin should be given as much scientific rigor as researching other natural phenomenon.
  • Nationality and national origin may be different, but for purposes of employment the distinction may not make a difference.
  • The origin and extent of your confusion has now been clarified.
  • Create an online application form tailored to the country of origin.
  • The origin of writing and reading cannot be understood as a direct evolutionary adaptation.
  • The variety of players and sports involved seemed too diffuse for a single origin.
  • The war of occupation-dubious in origin, incompetent in execution, opaque but ominous in ultimate consequences-continues.
  • So two other theories of the origin of the crisis are regularly floated in the city.
  • Trademarks are merely the right to indicate the origin of a product or service.
  • Cross-Channel prejudices, then, may have an unexpected origin.
British Dictionary definitions for origin

origin

/ˈɒrɪdʒɪn/
noun
1.
a primary source; derivation
2.
the beginning of something; first stage or part
3.
(often pl) ancestry or parentage; birth; extraction
4.
(anatomy)
  1. the end of a muscle, opposite its point of insertion
  2. the beginning of a nerve or blood vessel or the site where it first starts to branch out
5.
(maths)
  1. the point of intersection of coordinate axes or planes
  2. the point whose coordinates are all zero See also pole2 (sense 8)
6.
(commerce) the country from which a commodity or product originates: shipment from origin
Word Origin
C16: from French origine, from Latin orīgō beginning, birth, from orīrī to rise, spring from
Word Origin and History for origin
n.

c.1400, "ancestry, race," from Old French origine "origin, race," and directly from Latin originem (nominative origo) "a rise, commencement, beginning, source; descent, lineage, birth," from stem of oriri "to rise, become visible, appear" (see orchestra).

origin in Medicine

origin or·i·gin (ôr'ə-jĭn)
n.

  1. The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived.

  2. The fact of originating; rise or derivation.

  3. The point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction.

  4. The starting point of a cranial or spinal nerve.

origin in Science
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.