origin

/ˈɔrɪdʒɪn/
noun
  1. The point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived.
    • The origin of the river is a small spring in the mountains.
    • Scientists are studying the origin of the universe.
    • The word 'piano' has its origin in the Italian word for 'soft'.
  2. A person's family, social, or ethnic background.
    • His humble origins did not stop him from becoming a successful entrepreneur.
    • The application asks for your country of origin.
    • She is of Mexican origin but grew up in Canada.
  3. The starting point of a coordinate system, where axes intersect (value zero).
    • Plot the data starting from the origin of the chart.
    • The point (0,0) is called the origin in a Cartesian plane.
    • On the graph, the origin is at the bottom left corner.
Antonyms