/ Dictionary / Index O origin: Meaning and Definition of Find definitions for: or•i•gin Pronunciation: (ôr'i-jin, or'-), [key] — n. something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead: to follow a stream to its origin. rise or derivation from a particular source: the origin of a word. the first stage of existence; beginning: the origin of Quakerism in America. ancestry; parentage; extraction: to be of Scottish origin. the point of derivation. the more fixed portion of a muscle. the point in a Cartesian coordinate system where the axes intersect. Also calledpole.the point from which rays designating specific angles originate in a polar coordinate system with no axes. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. See also: origin (Thesaurus) Origen original Related Content Daily Word Quiz: fidelity Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language