o ‧ rig ‧ i ‧ nate /əˈrɪdʒəneɪt, əˈrɪdʒɪneɪt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ origin , ↑ original , ↑ originality , ↑ originator ; verb : ↑ originate ; adverb : ↑ originally ; adjective : ↑ original ≠ UNORIGINAL ]
1 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, not in progressive] formal to come from a particular place or start in a particular situation:
How did the plan originate?
originate from
A lot of our medicines originate from tropical plants.
originate in
Many Christmas traditions originated in Germany.
originate with
The idea originated with the ancient Greek philosophers.
originate as
The town originated as a small fishing port.
2 . [transitive] to have the idea for something and start it:
The technique was originated by an Italian artist.
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THESAURUS
■ 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.