What does origin mean?

Definitions for originˈɔr ɪ dʒɪn, ˈɒr-

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word origin.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. beginning, origin, root, rootage, source(noun)

    the place where something begins, where it springs into being


  2. origin, descent, extraction(noun)

    properties attributable to your ancestry

    "he comes from good origins"

  3. origin, origination, inception(noun)


  4. origin(noun)


  5. origin(noun)


    "the rumor had its origin in idle gossip"; "vegetable origins"; "mineral origin"; "origin in sensation"


    the descendants of one individual

    "his entire lineage has been warriors"


  1. origin(Noun)

    The beginning of something.

  2. origin(Noun)

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

  3. origin(Noun)

    The point at which the axes of a coordinate system intersect

  4. origin(Noun)

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

  5. origin(Noun)

    an arbitrary point on the earth's surface, chosen as the zero for a system of coordinates.

  6. origin(Noun)


  7. Origin: From origine, from origo, from oriri; see orient.


  1. Origin

    In mathematics, the origin of a Euclidean space is a special point, usually denoted by the letter O, used as a fixed point of reference for the geometry of the surrounding space. In a Cartesian coordinate system, the origin is the point where the axes of the system intersect. In Euclidean geometry, the origin may be chosen freely as any convenient point of reference. The most common coordinate systems are two-dimensional and three-dimensional, composed of two and three perpendicular axes, respectively. The origin divides each of these axes into two halves, a positive and a negative semiaxis. Points can then be located with reference to the origin by giving their numerical coordinates—that is, the positions of their projections along each axis, either in the positive or negative direction. The coordinates of the origin are always all zero, for example in two dimensions and in three. The origin of the complex plane can be referred as the point where real axis and imaginary axis intersect each other. In other words, it is the point representing 0 + 0i.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Origin

    or′i-jin, n. the rising or first existence of anything: that from which anything first proceeds: (math.) the fixed starting-point: cause: derivation.—adjs. Orig′inable; Orig′inal, pertaining to the origin or beginning: first in order or existence: in the author's own words or from the artist's own pencil: not copied: not translated: having the power to originate, as thought.—n. origin: first copy: the precise language used by a writer: an untranslated tongue: a person of marked individuality.—ns. Original′ity, Orig′inalness, quality or state of being original or of originating ideas.—adv. Orig′inally.—v.t. Orig′ināte, to give origin to: to bring into existence.—v.i. to have origin: to begin.—n. Originā′tion, act of originating or of coming into existence: mode of production.—adj. Orig′inātive, having power to originate or bring into existence.—n. Orig′inātor. [Fr. origine—L. origo, originisorīri, to rise.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

  1. origin

    Beginning point of a deployment where unit or non-unit-related cargo or personnel are located.

Suggested Resources

  1. origin

    Song lyrics by origin -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by origin on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'origin' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3297

  2. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'origin' in Nouns Frequency: #966


  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of origin in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of origin in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

  1. Dante Alighieri:

    Consider your origin you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.

  2. Eric Hoffer:


  3. Psalms 11996:

    I have seen an end of all perfection but thy commandment is exceeding broad.N. B. This is the origin of the proverb, All good things must come to an end.

  4. Arkady Zlochevsky:

    Turkey continues buying Russian wheat as the French origin is more expensive, while the Ukrainian origin does not meet their needs in terms of wheat quality.

  5. Sushil Atreya:

    We’re really not in a position from these data to say one way or the other what the origin of the methane is, because we are seeing signals here it’s worth coming back and doing more work.

Images & Illustrations of origin

  1. originoriginorigin

Translations for origin

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