origin

English

Etymology

From Middle English origine, origyne, from Old French origine, orine, ourine, from Latin origo (“beginning, source, birth, origin”), from orior (“to rise”); see orient. Doublet of origo.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒɹ.ɪ.d͡ʒɪn/, /ˈɒɹ.ə.d͡ʒən/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹ.ɪ.d͡ʒɪn/, /ˈɔɹ.d͡ʒɪn/
(NYC) IPA^(key): /ˈɑɹ.ɪ.d͡ʒɪn/
Audio (US) (file)

Noun

origin (plural origins)

The beginning of something.
The source of a river, information, goods, etc.
- 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Lecture I:
  It is clear that the origin of the truth would be an admirable criterion of this sort, if only the various origins could be discriminated from one another from this point of view, and the history of dogmatic opinion shows that origin has always been a favorite test. Origin in immediate intuition; origin in pontifical authority; origin in supernatural revelation, as by vision, hearing, or unaccountable impression; origin in direct possession by a higher spirit, expressing itself in prophecy and warning; origin in automatic utterance generally,—these origins have been stock warrants for the truth of one opinion after another which we find represented in religious history.
- 2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37:
  Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.
Synonym: source
(mathematics) The point at which the axes of a coordinate system intersect.
Synonym: zero vector
(anatomy) The proximal end of attachment of a muscle to a bone that will not be moved by the action of that muscle.
(cartography) An arbitrary point on Earth's surface, chosen as the zero for a system of coordinates.
(in the plural) Ancestry.

Synonyms

(beginning): See Thesaurus:beginning

Antonyms

(beginning): end
(source): destination
(anatomy): insertion

Derived terms

cross-origin
original
originate
origination
originator
origin story

Related terms

orient

Translations

beginning of something

Afrikaans: oorsprong (af)
Albanian: zanafillë (sq)
Arabic: مَنْشَأ‎ m (manšaʾ)
Egyptian Arabic: منشأ‎ m (manšaʾ)
Hijazi Arabic: مَنْشَأ‎ m (manšaʾ), مَصْدَر‎ m (maṣdar)
Aragonese: orichen m
Asturian: orixe
Belarusian: крыні́ца f (kryníca), жарало́ n (žaraló), пача́так m (pačátak), пахо́джанне n (paxódžannje)
Bulgarian: нача́ло (bg) n (načálo), прои́зход (bg) m (proízhod)
Catalan: origen (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 起源 (zh) (qǐyuán), 源頭／源头 (zh) (yuántóu), 起始 (zh) (qǐshǐ), 本源 (zh) (běnyuán)
Min Dong: 起源 (kī nguòng)
Czech: vznik (cs) m, počátek (cs) m
Danish: herkomst c, oprindelse c
Dutch: oorsprong (nl) m, herkomst (nl) f
Esperanto: origino (eo)
Finnish: alkuperä (fi)
French: origine (fr) f
Galician: orixe (gl) f
Georgian: საწყისი (sac̣q̇isi)
German: Ursprung (de) m, Anfang (de) m, Entstehung (de) f
Greek: αρχή (el) f (archí), προέλευση (el) f (proélefsi)
Ancient: ἀρχή f (arkhḗ)
Guaraní: ypy
Haitian Creole: orijin
Hebrew: מוֹצָא‎ (he) m (motzá), מָקוֹר‎ (he) m (makór)
Higaonon: poonan
Hindi: शुरुआत (hi) f (śuruāt)
Hungarian: eredet (hu), kezdet (hu), kezdőpont (hu), kiindulópont (hu)
Indonesian: asal usul (id)
Irish: foinse f, máthair (ga) f, bunús m
Italian: origine (it)
Japanese: 起源 (ja) (きげん, kigen), 原因 (ja) (げんいん, gen'in), 原初 (ja) (げんしょ, gensho)
Javanese: asal
Khmer: កំណើត (km) (kɑmnaət)
Kilivila: uula
Korean: 기원(起源) (ko) (giwon), 원인(原因) (ko) (wonin)
Lao: ກຳເນີດ (lo) (kam nœ̄t)
Latin: orīgō (la) f, principium (la) n, prīmordium f
Latvian: cilme f
Lithuanian: kilmė (lt) f
Macedonian: потекло n (poteklo), почеток m (početok)
Malay: asal
Malayalam: ഉത്ഭവം (ml) (utbhavaṃ)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: гарал (mn) (garal)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: opphav (no) n, opprinnelse m, utgangspunkt n, utspring n
Nynorsk: opphav n, utgangspunkt n, utspring n
Plautdietsch: Aunfank m, Häakunft f
Polish: pochodzenie (pl) n, początek (pl) m
Portuguese: origem (pt) f, começo (pt) m
Romagnol: radìșa f (figurative), ràdga f (figurative)
Romanian: origine (ro) f, origină (ro) f
Russian: нача́ло (ru) n (načálo), исто́чник (ru) m (istóčnik), происхожде́ние (ru) n (proisxoždénije)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: поче́так m
Roman: počétak (sh) m
Sicilian: uriggina (scn) f, urìggina (scn)
Slovak: začiatok (sk) m, vznik (sk) m
Slovene: poreklo n, začetek (sl) m
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: póchad m
Spanish: origen (es) m
Swedish: ursprung (sv) n, upprinnelse (sv) c
Tagalog: mulâ, simulâ, pasimulâ, umpisá
Tausug: pun
Thai: กำเนิด (th) (gam-nə̀ət)
Turkish: köken (tr), başlangıç (tr), kaynak (tr), orijin (tr)
Ukrainian: джерело́ (uk) n (džereló), крини́ця (uk) f (krynýcja), поча́ток (uk) m (počátok), похо́дження n (poxódžennja)
Venetian: orixene
Vietnamese: nguồn gốc (vi)
Volapük: rig (vo)
Yakut: төрүт (törüt)
Zulu: umsuka class 3/4

source of a river, information, goods, etc.

Arabic: مَنْبَع‎ m (manbaʿ), مَنْشَأ‎ m (manšaʾ), مَصْدَر‎ (ar) m (maṣdar)
Egyptian Arabic: منبع‎ m (manbaʿ), منشأ‎ m (manšaʾ), مصدر‎ m (maṣdar)
Hijazi Arabic: مَصْدَر‎ m (maṣdar), مَنْبَع‎ m (manbaʿ)
Bengali: উৎপত্তিস্থল (utpôttisthôlô)
Bulgarian: и́звор (bg) m (ízvor), и́зточник (bg) m (íztočnik)
Catalan: origen (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 源頭／源头 (zh) (yuántóu), 水源 (zh) (shuǐyuán)
Czech: počátek (cs) m, pramen (cs) m
Dutch: oorsprong (nl) m
Esperanto: fonto (eo)
Finnish: lähteet pl (of a river), alkuperä (fi) (of information etc.)
French: source (fr) f
Georgian: წყარო (c̣q̇aro)
German: Quelle (de) f
Greek: πηγή (el) f (pigí)
Haitian Creole: sous
Hebrew: מָקוֹר‎ (he) m (makór)
Hungarian: (of a river, information) forrás (hu), (of goods etc) származás (hu)
Indonesian: asal (id), sumber (id)
Irish: foinse f
Malayalam: ഉത്ഭവം (ml) (utbhavaṃ), ഉറവിടം (ml) (uṟaviṭaṃ)
Maori: takenga
Norwegian:
Bokmål: utspring n (river)
Nynorsk: utspring n (river)
Portuguese: origem (pt) f, (de um rio) nascente (pt) f
Russian: нача́ло (ru) n (načálo), исто́чник (ru) m (istóčnik), исто́к (ru) m (istók) (origin of a river)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ѝзвор m, вре̏ло n, ѝзворӣште n
Roman: ìzvor (sh) m, vrȅlo (sh) n, ìzvorīšte (sh) n
Slovene: izvor (sl) m
Spanish: origen (es) m
Swedish: källa (sv) c, ursprung (sv) n
Tagalog: kasimulan
Turkish: kaynak (tr)
Zulu: umdabu class 3, indabuko class 9/10

point at which the axes of a coordinate system intersect

Bulgarian: нача́ло (bg) n (načálo)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 原點／原点 (zh) (yuándiǎn)
Czech: počátek (cs) m
Danish: origo
Dutch: oorsprong (nl) m
Finnish: origo (fi), nollapiste (fi)
French: origine (fr) f
German: Ursprung (de) m
Hebrew: רֵאשִׁית‎ (he) f (reshít)
Hungarian: origó (hu)
Indonesian: origo
Irish: bunphointe m
Japanese: 原点 (ja) (げんてん, genten)
Norwegian: origo
Portuguese: origem (pt) f
Russian: нача́ло координа́т n (načálo koordinát)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ѝсходӣште n
Roman: ìshodīšte (sh) n
Swedish: origo (sv) n
Tagalog: mulaan
Turkish: orijin (tr)

ancestry

Albanian: zanafillë (sq)
Arabic: اَصْل‎ m (aṣl)
Hijazi Arabic: أصِل‎ m (aṣil)
Armenian: ծագում (hy) (cagum)
Belarusian: пахо́джанне n (paxódžannje), пахаджэ́нне n (paxadžénnje)
Bulgarian: прои́зход (bg) m (proízhod)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 起源 (zh) (qǐyuán), 來源／来源 (zh) (láiyuán)
Czech: původ (cs) m
Dutch: oorsprong (nl) m, afkomst (nl) f, herkomst (nl) f
Finnish: syntyperä (fi)
French: origine (fr) f
Georgian: წარმომავლობა (c̣armomavloba)
German: Herkunft (de) f
Greek: καταγωγή (el) f (katagogí)
Hebrew: מוֹצָא‎ (he) m (motzá)
Hungarian: származás (hu)
Indonesian: asal (id)
Irish: bunús m
Italian: origini (it) f pl
Macedonian: потекло n (poteklo)
Mongolian: гарал (mn) (garal)
Polish: pochodzenie (pl)
Portuguese: origem (pt) f
Russian: происхожде́ние (ru) n (proisxoždénije)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: подрије́тло n, порије́кло n
Roman: podrijétlo (sh) n, porijéklo (sh) n
Slovak: pôvod (sk) m
Slovene: poreklo n, izvir (sl) m
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: póchad m
Spanish: origen (es) m
Swedish: ursprung (sv) n, härkomst (sv) c
Turkish: soy sop (tr)
Ukrainian: похо́дження n (poxódžennja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Arabic: ^{(please verify)} أَصْل‎ m (ʾaṣl)
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} oorsprong (nl) m
French: ^{(please verify)} origine (fr) f
German: ^{(please verify)} Ursprung (de) m
Ido: ^{(please verify)} origino (io)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} origine (it) f
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 원천 (ko) (woncheon), ^{(please verify)} 근원 (ko) (geunwon)
Old English: ^{(please verify)} frymþu f
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: ^{(please verify)} istok (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} poreklo (sh) n, ^{(please verify)} postanak (sh) m

Anagrams

nigori