Origin: Etymology and Semantic Evolution

Origin /ˈɒrɪdʒɪn/ – noun.

Etymology

• Latin orīgo, orīgin- “beginning, source, birth.”
• From orīrī “to rise, arise, be born.”
• Entered English late 14th c. via Old French origine.

Meanings

1. Point of beginning (origin of a river, muscle, coordinate system).
2. Ancestry/lineage (family origins).
3. Cause/source (origin of a disease, idea, custom).
4. Mathematics: (0,0) in Cartesian coordinates.
5. Anatomy: proximal attachment of muscle (vs. insertion).

Related

• Original, originate, origination, origami (fold + paper).