Origen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The original root or source from which something derives or is developed
2. A foundational principle or cause that gives rise to a particular effect or outcome
3. The beginning stage in a process that leads to subsequent developments or results

Etymology: The name Origen belongs to one of the most influential early Christian theologians, and it may carry the name of an Egyptian god. Its Greek form, Ὠριγένης, is probably built from Ὧρος, "Horus," the falcon-headed god, plus a element meaning "born of." So a name that looks like a Latin-derived word for "source" likely began as a Greek name meaning "born of Horus." The resemblance to the everyday word is a coincidence. The Spanish and Portuguese "origen" for "origin" comes from Latin "origo," which means beginning or source, and has no connection to the Greek name. Early Latin writers adopted the Greek name as "Origenes," and that Latin form is the ancestor of the modern name. Readers meeting the name in a theological text and the word in ordinary speech are seeing two unrelated words that happen to look alike.