1. (n.) The first existence or beginning of anything; the birth\.

2. (n.) That from which anything primarily proceeds; the fountain; the spring; the cause; the occasion.

3. (n.) The point of attachment or end of a muscle which is fixed during contraction; -- in contradistinction to insertion.

A alpha ancestry babyhood base basis beginning beginnings birth birthplace blast-off blood childhood commencement comparative linguistics conception cradle creation cutting edge dawn dawning derivation descent edge eponymy establishment etymology extraction flying start folk etymology foundation fount fountain fresh start freshman year genealogy genesis grass roots head heritage historical linguistics inauguration inception inchoation incipience incipiency incunabula infancy institution jump-off kick-off launch launching leading edge lineage maternity nascence nascency nativity new departure oncoming onset opening original origination origins outbreak outset parentage parturition paternity pedigree pregnancy provenance provenience radical radix rise root running start semantic history send-off setting in motion setting-up source square one start start-off starting point stem stock take-off taproot well wellspring whence word history youth