1. the point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived
2. a person’s social background or ancestry
3. the center point of a coordinate system in mathematics
Usage: mathematics

Examples

• The origin of the river is high in the mountains.
• Scientists are studying the origin of the universe.
• She was proud of her Italian origin.
• The origin of this tradition dates back centuries.
• The graph shows the point where both axes meet at the origin.
• We need to trace the origin of this problem.
• His humble origin didn’t prevent him from achieving success.