origin

noun

1)

the origin of life

Syn:

beginning, start, commencement, origination, genesis, birth, dawning, dawn, emergence, creation, birthplace, cradle; source, basis, cause, root(s); formal radix

2)

the Latin origin of the word

Syn:

source, derivation, root(s), provenance, etymology

3)

her Scottish origin

Syn:

descent, ancestry, parentage, pedigree, lineage, line (of descent), heritage, birth, extraction, family, stock, blood, bloodline

••

origin, inception, provenance, root, source

The origin of something is the point from which it starts or sets out, or the person or thing from which it is ultimately derived (the origin of the custom of carving pumpkins at Halloween; the origin of a word). It often applies to causes that were in operation before the thing itself was brought into being. Source, on the other hand, applies to that which provides a first and continuous supply (the source of the river; an ongoing source of inspiration and encouragement). Root, more often than source, applies to what is regarded as the first or final cause of something; it suggests an origin so fundamental as to be the ultimate cause from which something stems (money is the root of all evil). Inception refers specifically to the beginning of an undertaking, project, institution, or practice (she was in charge of the organization from its inception). Provenance is similarly restricted in meaning, referring to the specific place, or sometimes the race or people, from which something is derived or by whom it was invented or constructed (in digging, they uncovered an artifact of unknown provenance).