origin
noun
Simple meaning
The source of something's existence or from which it derives or is derived.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
awruhjuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɔɹədʒən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The source of something's existence or from which it derives or is derived
“The rumor had its origin in idle gossip.”
The source of a river, information, goods, etc.
The place where something begins, where it springs into being
An event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events
Properties attributable to your ancestry
in the plural
Ancestry.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The source of something's existence or from which it derives or is derived
Used this way, origin is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The rumor had its origin in idle gossip.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “origin in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: origin in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use origin
- “The rumor had its origin in idle gossip.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
A word from which another word or words are derived.
The process of bringing something into existence.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made.
An event that is a beginning.
In an original manner.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence.
The oldness of wines.
The country where you were born.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.