Definition of: origin

(ôr′ə·jin, or′-) noun
1. The commencement of the existence of anything.
2. A primary source; cause.
3. Parentage; ancestry.
4. Anat. The relatively fixed point of attachment of a muscle. Compare INSERTION.
5. Math. a The point at which the axes of a Cartesian coordinate system intersect; the point where the ordinate and abscissa equal zero. b The point in a polar coordinate system where the radius vector equals zero. See illustration under QUADRANT, OCTANT. See synonyms under BEGINNING. [Appar. <OF origine <L origo, -inis a rise, beginning]