origin
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the point where something starts or the cause of something.
the point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived.
Simple“Scientists are still studying the origin of the universe.”
In context“The researchers spent years tracing the origin of the myth back to ancient oral traditions in the Mediterranean.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person's family background or the country they come from.
a person's social or ethnic background; often used in the plural to refer to heritage.
Simple“She is proud of her Irish origins and visits every summer.”
In context“The biography explores the author's humble origins in a small mining town and how they influenced his later political views.”
UsageOften used in the plural form 'origins' when discussing family history.
- 03 C1 Advanced
the point on a graph where the lines for zero meet.
the point in a Cartesian coordinate system where the axes intersect, having all coordinates equal to zero.
Simple“The graph starts at the origin where both x and y are zero.”
In context“To solve the equation, you must first calculate the distance of each point from the origin of the coordinate plane.”
Synonymszero point - 04 C2 Proficiency
the end of a muscle that stays still when the muscle moves.
the point of attachment of a muscle to a bone that remains relatively fixed during muscular contraction.
Simple“The origin of the bicep muscle is at the shoulder.”
In context“The surgeon carefully identified the muscle's origin to avoid damaging the surrounding connective tissue during the procedure.”
UsageContrasted with 'insertion', which is the end of the muscle that moves.
Synonymsattachment pointAntonyms
Usage origin story · common origin · different origin
“The original owner was likely a high official of Nubian origin named Nisemro.”
“Families of children adopted from Kazakhstan meet every summer in New Hampshire's lake country to celebrate the food and culture of their country of origin.”
From Middle English origine, origyne, from Old French origine, orine, ourine, from Latin orīgō (“beginning, source, birth, origin”), from orior (“to rise”); see orient. Doublet of origo.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.