Definition of "origin" []

• The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived. (noun)
• Ancestry: "We cannot escape our origins, however hard we try” ( James Baldwin). (noun)
• The fact of originating; rise or derivation: The rumor had its origin in an impulsive remark. (noun)
• Anatomy The point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction. (noun)
• Mathematics The point of intersection of coordinate axes, as in the Cartesian coordinate system. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Also Middle Eastern in origin is shanklish (sometimes spelled shanclish) made with either cow's or sheep's milk, formed into balls about 2 ½ inches in diameter and covered with zatar seasoning made with crushed sesame seeds, thyme and sumac berries."
• "Sante Maure, also French in origin, is an aged goat's milk cheese, or chevre, with a nutty flavor and aroma and a thin, smooth, blue-gray molding."
• "Misusing words of Latin origin is a common phenomenon."