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⇱ ORIGIN Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


origin

American  
[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.

    Synonyms:
    foundation, root
    Antonyms:
    end, destination
  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.

    Synonyms:
    descent, linage, birth
  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 and are measured from in a polar coordinate system with no axes.


origin British  
/ ˈɒrɪdʒɪn /

noun

  1. a primary source; derivation

  2. the beginning of something; first stage or part

  3. (often plural) 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 pole 2

  6. commerce the country from which a commodity or product originates

    shipment from origin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

origin Scientific  
/ ôrə-jĭn /
  1. 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.


Etymology

Origin of origin

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin orīgin-, stem of orīgō “beginning, source, lineage,” from or(īrī) “to rise” ( orient ) + -īgō, noun suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As we navigate a world where geopolitical lines seem to be hardening, how do you retain your own sense of origin or the stories your family passed down?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Ending dual citizenship would force me to choose between the country of my origin and the country of my parents’ origin.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

"This fossil documents the Cambrian origin of chelicerates," noted Lerosey-Aubril, "and shows that the anatomical blueprint of spiders and horseshoe crabs was already emerging 500 million years ago."

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Also, anyone residing in Abuja can contest local offices regardless of origin, unlike in other parts of Nigeria where such positions are reserved for those with local family origins.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Now the origin story flashed into her mind: Her parents in the front yard of a pretty little house at the end of a cul-de-sac, in that tiny Alabama town.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.