ORIGIN

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does origin mean? 

• ORIGIN (noun)
  The noun ORIGIN has 6 senses:

1. the place where something begins, where it springs into being

2. properties attributable to your ancestry

3. an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events

4. the point of intersection of coordinate axes; where the values of the coordinates are all zero

5. the source of something's existence or from which it derives or is derived

6. the descendants of one individual

  Familiarity information: ORIGIN used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ORIGIN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The place where something begins, where it springs into being

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

beginning; origin; root; rootage; source

Context example:

communism's Russian root

Hypernyms ("origin" is a kind of...):

point (the precise location of something; a spatially limited location)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "origin"):

trail head; trailhead (the beginning of a trail)

point source (a concentrated source (especially of radiation or pollution) that is spatially constricted)

home (place where something began and flourished)

birthplace; cradle; place of origin; provenance; provenience (where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence)

jumping-off place; point of departure (a place from which an enterprise or expedition is launched)

wellhead; wellspring (the source of water for a well)

headwater (the source of a river)

fountainhead; head; headspring (the source of water from which a stream arises)

spring (a point at which water issues forth)

derivation (the source or origin from which something derives (i.e. comes or issues))

Derivation:

originate (begin a trip at a certain point, as of a plane, train, bus, etc.)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Properties attributable to your ancestry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

descent; extraction; origin

Context example:

he comes from good origins

Hypernyms ("origin" is a kind of...):

ancestry; derivation; filiation; lineage (inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "origin"):

full blood (descent from parents both of one pure breed)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

inception; origin; origination

Hypernyms ("origin" is a kind of...):

beginning (the event consisting of the start of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "origin"):

germination (the origin of some development)

cause (events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something)

overture; preliminary; prelude (something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows)

emanation; procession; rise ((theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost)

Derivation:

originate (bring into being)

originate (come into existence; take on form or shape)

originate (begin a trip at a certain point, as of a plane, train, bus, etc.)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The point of intersection of coordinate axes; where the values of the coordinates are all zero

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("origin" is a kind of...):

intersection (a point or set of points common to two or more geometric configurations)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The source of something's existence or from which it derives or is derived

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Context example:

origin in sensation

Hypernyms ("origin" is a kind of...):

source ((technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The descendants of one individual

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

ancestry; blood; blood line; bloodline; descent; line; line of descent; lineage; origin; parentage; pedigree; stemma; stock

Context example:

his entire lineage has been warriors

Hypernyms ("origin" is a kind of...):

family tree; genealogy (successive generations of kin)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "origin"):

family; family line; folk; kinfolk; kinsfolk; phratry; sept (people descended from a common ancestor)

side (a family line of descent)

 Context examples 

PDGFR alpha acts as a mitogenic signaling receptor for cells of mesenchymal origin and inhibition of receptor activity may inhibit tumor cell proliferation.

(Anti-PDGFR Alpha Monoclonal Antibody MEDI-575, NCI Thesaurus)

A WHO grade III malignant glioma of ependymal origin with accelerated growth and an unfavorable clinical outcome, particularly in children.

(Anaplastic Ependymoma, NCI Thesaurus/Adapted from WHO)

A high grade glial neoplasm consisting chiefly of undifferentiated anaplastic cells of glial origin that show marked nuclear pleomorphism.

(Mouse Glioblastoma, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)

A person having origins in the original peoples of the Indian sub-continent.

(Asian Indian, NCI Thesaurus)

It may be epithelial, lymphoid, neuroepithelial, or mesenchymal in origin.

(Neoplastic Small Cell, NCI Thesaurus)

I was not and am not sure which; but I knew that the ship must have an American origin.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It has been described almost exclusively in families of Scottish origin.

(Multiple Self Healing Epithelioma of Ferguson-Smith, NCI Thesaurus)

The origin of the features and their reddish color is a mystery to Cassini scientists.

(Unusual Red Arcs Spotted on Icy Saturn Moon, NASA)

But debates continue about the origins of the water, whether it is widely distributed and how much might be present.

(Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon, NASA)

These ancient ancestors hold the key to understanding the origin of mammal-specific characteristics, including the spine.

(What makes a mammal a mammal? Our spine, say scientists, National Science Foundation)