rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryoriginSource or beginning
noun

origin

OR-ih-jin/ˈɔːrɪdʒɪn/

The source or beginning from which someone or something comes.

The spring marks the stream's origin.

A natural spring visibly emerging from a small opening in rock and becoming a flowing stream, making the stream’s point of origin concrete.
Etymology
originLatinrise, beginning, source

Latin origo meant a rise or beginning as well as a source or birth. A beginning thus names not only when something starts, but also what it comes from.

In context

Hidden Elder8:03
Without pollen, there's no way to verify the floral source or geographic origin, whether it's real Florida orange blossom or not.
15 FAKE Honey Brands to AVOID at All Costs (And How to Spot Real Honey)

More examples

  • Investigators traced the fire's origin.
  • The museum explained the origin of the custom.
  • She asked about the word's origin.

Forms

origin · origins

originate verb — begin or come from somewhere

original adjective — present at the beginning

Similar words

source
The place or cause from which something comes.
beginning
The starting point without necessarily ancestry or cause.