originate

English

Etymology

From (the participle stem of) Late Latin *originare (“to begin, give rise to”), from Latin orīgō (“origin”).

Morphologically origin +‎ -ate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈɹɪd͡ʒɪneɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ori‧gi‧nate

Verb

originate (third-person singular simple present originates, present participle originating, simple past and past participle originated)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone or something) to be; to bring (someone or something) into existence; to produce or initiate a person or thing.
   • 1960 December, “More L.T. progress with programme machines”, in Trains Illustrated, page 758:

     At Putney Bridge the train description transmissions for eastbound trains must be originated as there is no manned signal cabin on the London Transport system beyond this point; [...].

   • 1998 July 12, James Hebert, “Banderas puts his mark on 'Zorro'”, in San Diego Union-Tribune:

     For the first time since Douglas Fairbanks Sr. originated the role in the 1920 silent "The Mark of Zorro," the hero will be played by a Hispanic actor.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 171:

     The financial backers who originated the Encyclopédie project in 1745 had no idea about what they were getting into.

   • 2012 January, Michael Riordan, “Tackling Infinity”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 30 April 2013, page 86:

     Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains. Getting rid of these nagging infinities has probably occupied far more effort than was spent in originating the theories.

2. (intransitive) To come into existence; to have origin or beginning; to spring, be derived (from, with).

   The scheme originated with the governor and council.

   • 1951 October, H. C. Casserley, “Crane Engines”, in Railway Magazine, page 660:

     The idea of fitting a crane to an engine for shunting duties, primarily in works yards, appears to have originated with the North London Railway engine in 1872.

Synonyms

• (to bring into existence): begin, initiate; see also Thesaurus:begin
• (to come into existence): spring to life, take shape; see also Thesaurus:come into being
• (to make or fabricate): coin

Antonyms

• terminate
• end
• destinate (computing)

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• “originate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “originate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Italian

Verb

originate

1. inflection of originare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative
   3. feminine plural past participle

Anagrams

• iatrogeni, ignoriate, ringoiate

Spanish

Verb

originate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of originar combined with te