(a) Origin, source; ancestry of a person; a source of a river; also fig.; haven ~ of (in), to originate in (sth.); taken ~ of (from), arise from (sth.); originate in (a place); of a city: be founded by (sb.); (b) a cause of damnation or sin, source; a source of victory; (c) creation; the first ~, the Creation; (d) an original text, authorial version; original form of a text or document; a source or authority for a text, translation, or adaptation; (e) the derivation of a word; (f) original sin; (g) a primal element in nature; an inanimate thing, a mineral; (h) law an original writ.