originate
verb
Simple meaning
Come into existence.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
erijuhnaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɚˈɪdʒəneɪt
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.
verb
Come into existence; take on form or shape
“A new religious movement originated in that country.”
intransitive
To come into existence; to have origin or beginning; to spring, be derived (from, with).
transitive
To cause (someone or something) to be; to bring (someone or something) into existence; to produce or initiate a person or thing.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Come into existence; take on form or shape
Used this way, originate is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“A new religious movement originated in that country.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “originate in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: originate in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Someone who creates new things.
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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.