It is important to note that given external Chinese meanings of the combined elements (ORIGIN, SOURCE, PRIME, RAW, CAUSATION) do not include the commonly accepted Japanese meanings of this glyph (geological plain, raised plateau) that are seemingly based more on the glyph's shape and appearance than anything else related to the elements, per se. Japanese meanings add FIELD, FLAT PLAIN, PLATEAU (elements as「small white cliffs」? ) perhaps referring to some sort of ORIGINAL state or condition of an area prior to human habitation, a wilderness…or,「hand on white, conspicuous stream of emissions」perhaps depicting a source of fluid from rocks that has spurted onto a flat, level area, such as the lower torso between the umbilicus and pubic bone of a person lying supine. Needless to point out that cliffs (by definition, not relatively level) are not often associated geologically with flat plains or fields (by definition, relatively level), with these terms referring to opposite conditions, in fact.
　「Cliff」with「conspicuous white open-tonguing mouth」and「small youths, emitted stream」describes the ORIGIN, SOURCE, PRIME, RAW, CAUSATION of both early cave-human FORMER, PRIMITIVE dwelling places and PRIMAL human behavior, but also describes the infamous caves of wonder, the ORIGIN of soothing business enterprises of all types, divine religious experience, medical practices of witch doctors, and accounting practices with barter and later coin money as the foundation of modern human civilization: THE FIRST HUMAN PROFESSION, the FORMER preferred method of clients with service providers causing ejaculation-for-money (fellatio) prior to foot-dis-integrating and the rampant transmission of sexually-related disease and infection.
　「Array of erections」or「hand」with「torpid blank stare, white」「streaming emission」depicting the ORIGINAL and likely FIRST, PRIMAL, FUNDAMENTAL method employed by male humans (and bonobos today imprisoned in a zoo), extracting the SOURCE of RAW fluid, The ORIGIN of Species…still practiced today for that matter by humans, too, a result of purely natural selection.

Modern definitions (that generally disregard history) …excluding politically incorrect concepts and other meanings deemed offensive today; may list only pigeonholed definitions, euphemisms, or meaningless mnemonics)
Chinese: former; original; primary; raw; level; cause; source
Japanese: original, primitive, primary, fundamental, raw, field, plain, prairie, tundra, moor, wilderness
Unihan extended: source, origin, beginning
EDRDG: meadow; original; primitive; field; plain; prairie; tundra; wilderness

Used within names (nanori)
た　･　ばる　･　ら　･　わた　･　わら