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or⋅i⋅gin

  [awr-i-jin, or-]
Use origin in a Sentence
–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.
a. the point of derivation.
b. the more fixed portion of a muscle.
6. Mathematics.
a. the point in a Cartesian coordinate system where the axes intersect.
b. Also called pole. the point from which rays designating specific angles originate in a polar coordinate system with no axes.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L orīgin- (s. of orīgō) beginning, source, lineage, deriv. of orīrī to rise; cf. orient

Synonyms:
1. root, foundation. 4. birth, lineage, descent.

Antonyms:
1. destination, end.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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or·i·gin   (ôr'ə-jĭn, ŏr'-)   
n.  
  1. The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived.
  2. Ancestry: "We cannot escape our origins, however hard we try" (James Baldwin).
  3. The fact of originating; rise or derivation: The rumor had its origin in an impulsive remark.
  4. Anatomy The point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction.
  5. Mathematics The point of intersection of coordinate axes, as in the Cartesian coordinate system.

[Middle English origine, ancestry, from Latin orīgō, orīgin-, from orīrī, to arise, be born; see er-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These nouns signify the point at which something originates. Origin is the point at which something comes into existence: The origins of some words are unknown.
When origin refers to people, it means parentage or ancestry: "He came . . . of mixed French and Scottish origin" (Charlotte Brontë).
Inception is the beginning, as of an action or process: The researcher was involved in the project from its inception.
Source signifies the point at which something springs into being or from which it derives or is obtained: "The mysterious . . . is the source of all true art and science" (Albert Einstein).
Root often denotes what is considered the fundamental cause of or basic reason for something: "Lack of money is the root of all evil" (George Bernard Shaw).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Origin

Or"i*gin\, n. [F. origine, L. origo, -iginis, fr. oriri to rise, become visible; akin to Gr. 'orny`nai to stir up, rouse, Skr. [.r], and perh. to E. run.]

1. The first existence or beginning of anything; the birth.

This mixed system of opinion and sentiment had its origin in the ancient chivalry. --Burke.

2. That from which anything primarily proceeds; the fountain; the spring; the cause; the occasion.

3. (Anat.) The point of attachment or end of a muscle which is fixed during contraction; -- in contradistinction to insertion.

Origin of co["o]rdinate axes (Math.), the point where the axes intersect. See Note under Ordinate.

Syn: Commencement; rise; source; spring; fountain; derivation; cause; root; foundation.

Usage: Origin, Source. Origin denotes the rise or commencement of a thing; source presents itself under the image of a fountain flowing forth in a continuous stream of influences. The origin of moral evil has been much disputed, but no one can doubt that it is the source of most of the calamities of our race.

I think he would have set out just as he did, with the origin of ideas -- the proper starting point of a grammarian, who is to treat of their signs. --Tooke.

Famous Greece, That source of art and cultivated thought Which they to Rome, and Romans hither, brought. --Waller.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : origin
Spanish: origen,
German: der Ursprung,
Japanese: 起源
More Translations »

Main Entry: or·i·gin
Pronunciation: 'or-&-j&n, 'är-
Function: noun
1 : the point at which something begins or rises orfrom which it derives
2 : the more fixed, central, or larger attachment of a muscle —compare INSERTION1
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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origin   (ôr'ə-jĭn)  Pronunciation Key 
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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