originate
Syllables: ori·gi·nateUK/əˈɹɪd͡ʒɪneɪt/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/əˈɹɪd͡ʒɪnæɪt/
originate verb: to cause (someone or something) to be; to bring (someone or something) into existence; to produce or initiate a person or thing.
Verb
originate (third-person singular simple present originates, present participle originating, simple past and past participle originated)
- To cause (someone or something) to be; to bring (someone or something) into existence; to produce or initiate a person or thing.
- Einstein originated the theory of relativity.
- 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; [...].1960 December, “More L.T. progress with programme machines”, in Trains Illustrated, page 758
- To come into existence; to have origin or beginning; to spring, be derived (from, with).
- The scheme originated with the governor and council.
- 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 1872.1951 October, H. C. Casserley, “Crane Engines”, in Railway Magazine, page 660
- Synonyms:
- spring to life
Adjective
originate (not comparable)
- Founded on, having its origin in (something).
- My Testimony to and Abhorrence of every Invasion..against Christs Royal prerogative,..Originate upon and derivate from that which they call the Supremacy1679, John Kid, The last speeches of the two ministers Mr. John King, and Mr. John Kid, [brace] at the place of execution at Edenburgh on the 14th day of August, 1679, page 23
originate meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Malayalam
originate in Hindi
- to originate, to emanate, to result
- उठना uṭhnā
originate in Tamil
- தொடங்கிவை, தொடங்கு
originate in Bengali
- শুরু হওয়া, উদ্ভূত হওয়া
originate in Malayalam
- to take first existence, have origin
- ഉത്ഭവിക്കുക utbhavikkuka
More languagesFewer languages
- originate in Kannada
- ಜನ್ಮಕೊಡು, ಉತ್ಪತ್ತಿ ಮಾಡು, ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿಸು, ಮೊದಲು ಮಾಡಿಸು
- originate in Vietnamese
- sáng tạo, phát minh, bắt đầu, hình thành
Examples of originate in a sentence
- 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.1998 July 12, James Hebert, “Banderas puts his mark on 'Zorro'”, in San Diego Union-Tribune:
- The financial backers who originated the Encyclopédie project in 1745 had no idea about what they were getting into.2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 171:
Synonyms of originate
Antonyms
Forms of originate
| third-person singular present | originates |
|---|---|
| present participle | originating |
| past participle | originated |
| past | originated |
Origin of originate
From Medieval Latin orīginātus, perfect passive participle of orīginō (“to begin, give rise to”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from orīgō (orīgin- in compounds) + -ō. Compare Italian originare and Spanish originar. By surface analysis, origin + -ate.
From Medieval Latin orīginātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. By surface analysis, origin + -ate.
Words formed from originate
Questions about originate
- What does originate mean?
- Originate means to cause (someone or something) to be; to bring (someone or something) into existence; to produce or initiate a person or thing.
- What is originate in Hindi?
- Originate in Hindi is उठना (uṭhnā). See Originate meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use originate in a sentence?
- 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.
- What part of speech is originate?
- Originate can be a verb or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce originate?
- Originate is pronounced /əˈɹɪd͡ʒɪneɪt/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of originate?
- The past tense of originate is originated.
Words near originate in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: originate (page history and authors); उठना (Hindi) (page history and authors); originate (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Originate (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); originate (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-originate.ogg.
Cite this entry: “originate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/originate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.