ORIGIN

n. 1 source, derivation, rise, fountain-head, foundation, basis, base, well-spring, fount, provenance, Chiefly US provenience The origins of many English words are unknown 2 creation, genesis, birth, birthplace, cradle, dawning, dawn, origination, start, beginning, commencement, outset, launch, launching, inception, inauguration The origin of the notion of democracy can be traced to ancient Greece 3 Often, origins. parentage, ancestry, extraction, descent, lineage, pedigree, genealogy, stock, heritage We have traced our family's origins back to the Middle Ages