[or.i.gin] n [ME origine, prob. fr. MF, fr. L origin-, origo, fr. oriri to rise--more at orient] (15c) 1: ancestry, parentage
2. a: rise, beginning, or derivation from a source b: the point at which something begins or rises or from which it derives "the ~ of the custom is forgotten"; also: something that creates, causes, or gives rise to another "this spring is the ~ of the brook"
3: the more fixed, central, or larger attachment of a muscle
4: the intersection of coordinate axes syn origin, source, inception, root mean the point at which something begins its course or existence. origin applies to the things or persons from which something is ultimately derived and often to the causes operating before the thing itself comes into being "an investigation into the origin of baseball". source applies more often to the point where something springs into being "the source of the Nile" "the source of recurrent trouble". inception stresses the beginning of something without implying causes "the business has been a success since its inception". root suggests a first, ultimate, or fundamental source often not easily discerned "the real root of the violence".