font

¹

[ font ]

noun

1. a receptacle, usually of stone, as in a baptistery or church, containing the water used in baptism.
2. a receptacle for holy water; stoup.
3. a productive source:

   The book is a font of useful tips for travelers.

4. the reservoir for oil in a lamp.
5. Archaic. a fountain.

font

²

[ font ]

noun

, Printing.

1. a complete assortment of type of one style and size.

font

¹

/ fɒnt /

noun

1. printing a complete set of type of one style and size Also calledfount

font

²

/ fɒnt /

noun

1. 1. a large bowl for baptismal water, usually mounted on a pedestal
   2. a receptacle for holy water
2. the reservoir for oil in an oil lamp
3. archaic.
   a fountain or well

Derived Forms

• ˈfontal, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of font¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English font, fant, from Latin font-, stem of fōns “baptismal font, spring, fountain”

Origin of font²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French fonte, from Vulgar Latin funditus (unrecorded) “a pouring, molding, casting,” verbal noun from Latin fundere “to pour”; found ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of font¹

C16: from Old French fonte a founding, casting, from Vulgar Latin funditus (unattested) a casting, from Latin fundere to melt; see found ³

Origin of font²

Old English, from Church Latin fons , from Latin: fountain

Example Sentences

A company gives Pencil’s software the URL of its website, and that software automatically grabs the logos, fonts, colors and other “brand image information” found there to use in a business’s ads.

From Fortune

He specifically noted that working with fonts was one of the more difficult problems the team faced in bringing this capability online.

From TechCrunch

Test your descriptions for different formats, lengths, fonts, and more.

From Search Engine Watch

Google has updated the fonts, shapes, and colors of the mobile search experience.

From Search Engine Land

Generally, that means choosing a font that’s easy to read in a color that doesn’t clash with the background.

From Popular-Science

“Font, logo, edge finish, surface finish … everything is different from ours,” said Sung Hwang, the general manager.

From The Daily Beast

The entire 32-page report, presented mostly in tables and big font, is here in pdf.

From The Daily Beast

“Pretty big font; pretty big keg,” Gardner muttered, yielding his time after one final demand.

From The Daily Beast

The SarcMark solves that problem, and you can download it as a font for the reasonable price of $1.99 (£1.20).

From The Daily Beast

So I turned it into a poster and I added some kind of fake Russian font to make it look alien.

From The Daily Beast

Ces gens, croy-je, sont les plus grands harangueurs de toute la terre; ils ne font rien sans cela.

From Project Gutenberg

An enormous lion lay stretched out at the font of the tree quite dead!

From Project Gutenberg

It is too close a copy of the original, l. 25—'Contre moy font une accion.'

From Project Gutenberg

Beside the font is a very quaint iron bracket-stand, painted blue and gold, "constructed to carry" two candles.

From Project Gutenberg

So be it, said the King, & so Hallfrod was baptized and the King held him himself at the font.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• typeface