（事物的）起源;（人的）出身，血统
used to describe the particular way in which something started to exist or someone started their life
The story has obscure origins (= no one knows how it started). 这个故事的起源已不可考。
The president's family was of humble origins (= they were poor people without a good position in society). 总统家庭出身卑微。
He's never made any attempt to conceal his working-class origins and indeed is proud of them.
He rose from relatively lowly origins to become a figure of huge historical importance.
Despite its associations with Christianity, the custom almost certainly has pagan origins.
See also: origin