/or´ĭ-jin/
Noun, pl. origins
1. The source or beginning of anything, especially the more fixed end or attachment of a muscle (as distinguished from its insertion), or the site of emergence of a peripheral nerve from the central nervous system. (Dorland’s Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. © 2007 by Saunders)
2. The starting point of a cranial or spinal nerve. (The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company)
3. The tendinous attachment of a muscle to the bone that remains fixed when the muscle contracts. In most cases, the origin is medial to the insertion. (Jonas: Mosby’s Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (c) 2005, Elsevier)
4. The birth, existence, or beginning; starting point. (biology-online.org)
5. The cause; that which causes something to arise. (biology-online.org)
Word origin:From Latin origo, source