originum

Originum is the genitive plural form of the Latin noun origo, which means origin, source, or birth. In Latin, originum is used to express possession or association, roughly translating as “of origins” or “of the origins” in English. The form appears in scholarly, religious, and historical Latin where the genitive case links nouns and adjectives to indicate provenance or characteristic.

Grammar and etymology: Origo is a feminine noun of the third declension. Its genitive singular is originis, and its genitive plural is originum. As a noun meaning origin, origo commonly begins phrases that specify kinds or sources, such as a construction resembling diversarum originum, meaning “of diverse origins.”

Usage: In Latin texts, originum appears after adjectives or nouns that govern the genitive. It can be part of a noun phrase describing provenance, source material, or lineage, and it can be modified by adjectives, participles, or other nouns. Though not everyday vocabulary in classical prose, it is well attested in legal, philosophical, and natural-historical writing that details origins of things, ideas, or populations.

See also: origo; origin; Latin grammar; genitive case.