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Background vs. Origin — What's the Difference?

Background vs. Origin — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Background and Origin

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Background

The part of a picture, scene, or design that forms a setting for the main figures or objects, or appears furthest from the viewer
The word is written in white on a red background
The house stands against a background of sheltering trees

Origin

The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived.

Background

The circumstances or situation prevailing at a particular time or underlying a particular event
The political and economic background
Background information

Origin

Often origins Ancestry
"We cannot escape our origins, however hard we try" (James Baldwin).

Background

Form a background to
Windswept land backgrounded by the Rockies
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Origin

The fact of originating; rise or derivation
The rumor had its origin in an impulsive remark.

Background

Provide with background
The embassy backgrounded American reporters

Origin

(Anatomy) The point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction.

Background

The ground or scenery located behind something.

Origin

(Mathematics) The point of intersection of coordinate axes, as in the Cartesian coordinate system.

Background

The part of a pictorial representation that appears to be in the distance and that provides relief for the principal objects in the foreground.

Origin

The beginning of something.

Background

The general scene or surface against which designs, patterns, or figures are represented or viewed.

Origin

The source of a river, information, goods, etc.

Background

A position, area, or situation that is not immediately in one's attention or notice
You can hear traffic moving in the background during the interview.

Origin

(mathematics) The point at which the axes of a coordinate system intersect.

Background

(Computers) The environment in which programs operate that the user does not engage with directly
Processes that run in the background.

Origin

(anatomy) The proximal end of attachment of a muscle to a bone that will not be moved by the action of that muscle.

Background

The circumstances and events surrounding or leading up to an event or occurrence.

Origin

(cartography) An arbitrary point on Earth's surface, chosen as the zero for a system of coordinates.

Background

A person's experience, training, and education
Her background in the arts is impressive.

Origin

(in the plural) Ancestry.

Background

The cultural or social environment in which a person was brought up or has lived
A class with students from many different backgrounds.

Origin

The first existence or beginning of anything; the birth.
This mixed system of opinion and sentiment had its origin in the ancient chivalry.

Background

Subdued music played especially as an accompaniment to dialogue in a dramatic performance.

Origin

That from which anything primarily proceeds; the fountain; the spring; the cause; the occasion.

Background

Sound that intrudes on or interferes with an audio recording.

Origin

The point of attachment or end of a muscle which is fixed during contraction; - in contradistinction to insertion.
I think he would have set out just as he did, with the origin of ideas - the proper starting point of a grammarian, who is to treat of their signs.
Famous Greece,That source of art and cultivated thoughtWhich they to Rome, and Romans hither, brought.

Background

Low-level radiation, as from radioactive decay, that exists as part of the natural environment.

Origin

The place where something begins, where it springs into being;
The Italian beginning of the Renaissance
Jupiter was the origin of the radiation
Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River
Communism's Russian root

Background

Less important or less noticeable in a scene or system.
Background noise
The antivirus program runs on a background thread.

Origin

Properties attributable to your ancestry;
He comes from good origins

Background

One's social heritage, or previous life; what one did in the past.
The lawyer had a background in computer science.

Origin

An event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events

Background

A part of the picture that depicts scenery to the rear or behind the main subject; context.

Origin

The point of intersection of coordinate axes; where the values of the coordinates are all zero

Background

Information relevant to the current situation about past events; history.

Origin

The descendants of one individual;
His entire lineage has been warriors

Background

A less important feature of scenery (as opposed to foreground).
There was tons of noise in the background.
The photographer let us pick a background for the portrait.

Background

(computing) The image or color over which a computer's desktop items are shown (e.g. icons or application windows).

Background

(computing) A type of activity on a computer that is not normally visible to the user.
The antivirus program is running in the background.

Background

(physics) background radiation

Background

To put in a position that is not prominent.

Background

(journalism) To gather and provide background information (on).

Background

Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground, or the ground in front.

Background

The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures.

Background

Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings.

Background

A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight.
I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance.
A husband somewhere in the background.

Background

The set of conditions within which an action takes place, including the social and physical conditions as well as the psychological states of the participants; as, within the background of the massive budget deficits of the 1980's, new spending programs had little chance of passage by the congress.

Background

The set of conditions that precede and affect an action, such as the social and historical precedents for the event, as well as the general background{5}; as, against the background of their expulsion by the Serbs, the desire of Kosovars for vengeance is understandable though regrettable.

Background

The signals that may be detected by a measurement which are not due to the phenomenon being studied, and tend to make the measurement uncertain to a greater or lesser degree.

Background

An agreement between a journalist and an interviewee that the name of the interviewee will not be quoted in any publication, although the substance of the remarks may be reported; - often used in the phrase "on background". Compare deep background.

Background

A person's social heritage: previous experience or training;
He is a lawyer with a sports background

Background

The part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground;
He posed her against a background of rolling hills

Background

Information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem;
The embassy filled him in on the background of the incident

Background

Extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured;
They got a bad connection and could hardly hear one another over the background signals

Background

Relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation;
When the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background

Background

The state of the environment in which a situation exists;
You can't do that in a university setting

Background

(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear

Background

Scenery hung at back of stage

Background

Understate the importance or quality of;
He played down his royal ancestry

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