origin

Where does the word "origin" come from? It comes from Latin origo, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

Origin’s story begins in Latin: origo meant “beginning, source.” From 'oriri', to rise, the root of 'orient'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as origine. First meant ancestry or lineage in English, around 1400; Latin 'oriri' also meant to rise, as the sun does. It reached English by 1400s as origin. Darwin's 'Origin of Species' appeared in 1859. Today, origin means the point where something begins.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient origo "beginning, source", from 'oriri', to rise, the root of 'orient'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval origine "origin", first meant ancestry or lineage in English, around 1400; Latin 'oriri' also meant to rise, as the sun does.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s origin "ancestry", Darwin's 'Origin of Species' appeared in 1859.