or ‧ i ‧ gin W2 /ˈɒrədʒən, ˈɒrɪdʒən $ ˈɔː-, ˈɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ origin , ↑ original , ↑ originality , ↑ originator ; verb : ↑ originate ; adverb : ↑ originally ; adjective : ↑ original ≠ UNORIGINAL ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: origine , from Latin origo , from oriri 'to rise' ]
1 . ( also origins ) [plural] the place or situation in which something begins to exist
origin of
a new theory to explain the origins of the universe
in origin
Most coughs are viral in origin.
The word is French in origin.
The tradition has its origins in the Middle Ages.
old folk tales of unknown origin
country/place of origin (=where something came from)
All meat should be clearly labelled with its country of origin.
2 . ( also origins ) [plural] the country, race, or type of family which someone comes from ⇨ extraction
of French/German/Asian etc origin
Two thirds of the pupils are of Asian origin.
The form asks for information about the person’s ethnic origin.
Immigrants rarely return to their country of origin.
She never forgot her humble origins.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a common origin (=a place or situation in which different things all started to exist)
It may be that all life on Earth has a common origin.
▪ of recent origin (=having started to exist only a short time ago)
This particular theory is of very recent origin.
▪ of unknown origin (=used to say that no one knows where, when, or how something started)
an ancient folk tale of unknown origin
▪ of doubtful origin (=unknown and possibly suspicious)
The fire was still being treated as of doubtful origin.
▪ sth’s historical/geographical/political etc origins
This type of story has its historical origins in eighteenth century gothic novels.
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the geographical origins of the plant
■ verbs
▪ have its origin in something (=begin to exist)
The ceremony has its origins in medieval times.
▪ trace its origins to something (=used to say that something can find evidence that it began to exist at a particular time or in a particular place)
The Roman Catholic Church traces its origins back to the 4th century.
▪ trace the origin of something (=find where, when etc something began to exist)
It’s difficult to trace the origin of some words.
▪ owe its origins to something (=used to explain how something began to exist)
a government which owes its origins to revolution
▪ sth’s origins lie in something (=something comes from a particular place or or develops from a particular situation)
a grape whose origins lie in northern Italy
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The technique’s origins lie in the popular arts of the time.
▪ sth’s origins go back to something (=used to say when or how something began)
The school’s origins go back to the 12th century.
▪ investigate the origin of something (=try to find out where, when etc something began to exist)
researchers investigating the origin of AIDS
■ phrase
▪ the country/place of origin (=the country or place where something is made or produced)
The rugs are somewhat cheaper in their country of origin.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ where something comes from
▪ origin/origins the place or situation in which something begins to exist:
the origins of the conflict in the Middle East
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The book explains the origin of words.
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Her disability is genetic in origin.
▪ source the thing, place etc that you get something from:
They get their money from various sources.
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Beans are a good source of protein.
▪ root the root of a problem is the main cause. The roots of something are the things that it was originally based on:
Allergies are at the root of a lot of health problems.
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At the root of the crisis was a shortage of hard cash.
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They want a return to the roots of Christianity.
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Reggae has its roots in a range of different musical styles.
▪ the birthplace of something the place where something first started to exist:
New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.
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Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee
▪ the cradle of something the place where something important first started – used mainly in the following phrases:
Ancient Athens is considered to be the cradle of democracy.
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Baghdad was the cradle of civilization.
▪ starting point an idea, suggestion etc from which a discussion, process, or project can develop:
His paper provided an excellent starting point for discussion.
■ to come from something or somewhere
▪ come from something to have developed from something that existed before:
The word origami comes from the Japanese ori (folding) and kami (paper).
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Where did the idea for the book come from?
▪ be based on something to use something else as the basis:
The film is based on a traditional Chinese story.
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She later wrote a book based on her experiences in Africa.
▪ originate to come from a particular place, group, or situation, especially one that existed a long time ago. Originate is more formal than come from :
The jewellery probably originates from Egypt.
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Genes also tell us that native Americans originated from a small group of migrants who crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia.
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Christmas pudding is thought to have originated from a type of medieval porridge, which was made of meat, dried fruit, nuts, sugar and spices.
▪ be founded on something to develop from an idea or belief:
Our system of government is founded on the principle of democracy.
▪ derive from something/be derived from something to come from something, especially by means of a long or complicated process – often used about words coming from another language:
Much of the English language is derived from Latin.
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Many drugs are derived from plants.
▪ have its origins/roots in something to develop from something that existed long ago:
Halloween has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival.
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Modern country and Western music has its roots in the folk songs of the rural south.
▪ go back to something to come from a particular past time or event or from something that existed a long time ago:
Our friendship goes back to our freshman year in college.
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The college goes back to the Middle Ages.