Origin Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

origin

/ˈorəʤən/

noun

plural

origins

origin

/ˈorəʤən/

noun

Britannica Dictionary definition of ORIGIN

1

:

the point or place where something begins or is created

:

the source or cause of something

[count]

  • The origin of this custom/tradition is not known. = The origins of this custom/tradition are not known. [=no one knows how this custom/tradition started]

  • What is the origin [=etymology] of that word?

  • The school had its origin [=the school was created] with a large gift from a donor.

  • The story had its origin [=originated] in the 19th century.

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[noncount]

  • The English word “rendezvous” is French in origin. [=the English word comes from French]

  • The infection was bacterial in origin. [=the infection was caused by bacteria]

  • The wine is named for its place of origin. [=the place where it was made/created]

  • The game is of recent origin. [=the game was created recently]

  • a disease of unknown origin [=a disease whose origin is not known]

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2

:

the place, social situation, or type of family that a person comes from

[noncount]

  • She is of French origin. [=ancestry]

  • What is his country of origin? [=what country does he come from?]

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[count]

  • Her ethnic origins are French.

  • He comes from humble origins. [=he comes from a family that did not have high social status or much money]

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Origin Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of enough? ›

1. : in or to a degree or quantity that satisfies or that is sufficient or necessary for satisfaction : sufficiently. 2. : fully, quite. he is qualified enough for the position.

What is the definition and origin of the term dictionary? ›

The word dictionary comes from the Latin dictio, “the act of speaking,” and dictionarius, “a collection of words.” Although encyclopaedias are a different type of reference work, some use the word dictionary in their names (e.g., biographical dictionaries).

What is the meaning of origin? ›

: the point at which something begins or rises or from which it derives. the origin of the custom. also : something that creates, causes, or gives rise to another.

What does the origin of a word mean? ›

etymology. noun. et·​y·​mol·​o·​gy ˌet-ə-ˈmäl-ə-jē plural etymologies. : the history of a word shown by tracing it or its parts back to the earliest known forms and meanings both in its own language and any other language from which it or its parts may have been taken.

What does have enough mean? ›

Want no more of something, as in I've had enough of their quarreling . This phrase uses enough in the sense of “an adequate amount,” which is intended ironically to mean “a more than sufficient amount.” [c. 1700] For synonyms, see fed to the gills ; have had it , def.

What is the meaning of the word "enough is enough"? ›

idiom. used to say that one wants something to stop because one can no longer accept or deal with it. I don't mind lending her a bit of money now and then, but enough is enough!

Can you find the origin of a word in a dictionary? ›

For the immediate ancestry of an English word, however, your first stop should be the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The recorded ancestors of an English word can usually be found within the entry for that word in the OED online [Harvard Key required] or in the print version of the OED (2nd ed., 1989).

What's the origin and the meaning of the word grammar? ›

The word grammar is derived from Greek γραμματικὴ τέχνη (grammatikḕ téchnē), which means "art of letters", from γράμμα (grámma), "letter", itself from γράφειν (gráphein), "to draw, to write". The same Greek root also appears in the words graphics, grapheme, and photograph.

What is the origin of the word explain? ›

Etymology. From Middle English explanen, from Old French explaner, from Latin explanō (“I flatten, spread out, make plain or clear, explain”), from ex- (“out”) + planō (“I flatten, make level”), from planus (“level, plain”); see plain and plane.

What is the answer of origin? ›

Solution: In the Cartesian Plane, the point at which the two axes meet is known as origin. The coordinates of the origin are denoted by (0, 0).

What is the best definition origin? ›

Old English beste, reduced by assimilation of -t- from earlier Old English betst "of the highest quality or standing, first, in the best manner." This originally was the superlative of bōt "remedy, reparation" (Middle English bote "advantage, help, profit"), a word now surviving in its simple form only in the ...

Why meaning and origin? ›

why (adv.) Old English hwi, instrumental case (indicating for what purpose or by what means) of hwæt (see what), from Proto-Germanic adverb *hwi (source also of Old Saxon hwi, Old Norse hvi), from PIE *kwi- (source of Greek pei "where"), locative of root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns.

What is an example of origin? ›

the place where something was made or came from: The furniture was French in origin.

What is a person's origin? ›

Definition. Ethnic or cultural origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the person's ancestors. Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, or origins that refer to different countries, or other origins that may not refer to different countries.

What is the root for origin and meaning? ›

Hi Daniel "Rooting for" is a phrasal verb or an idiom which is believed to originate from the British verb rout, which is used of cattle and means "bellow." Hence the original meaning of the phrase which is to give audible encouragement or applause to a contestant or team; cheer.

What does it mean if someone is enough? ›

You are enough means that you don't have to strive to become more worthy, more valid, more acceptable, or more loved. You already are all of those things. There are things you might want to be more of.

What does it mean when someone says that's enough? ›

convention. You say 'that's enough' to tell someone, especially a child, to stop behaving in a silly, noisy, or unpleasant way.

What does it mean having enough? ›

If you say that you have had enough, you mean that you are unhappy with a situation and you want it to stop.

What is an example of enough? ›

enough comes after adjectives and adverbs. I'm not tall enough to reach the top shelf. Your marks are good enough to study engineering at university. I couldn't write quickly enough and I ran out of time.

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