font
1 Americannoun
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a receptacle, usually of stone, as in a baptistery or church, containing the water used in baptism.
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a receptacle for holy water; stoup.
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a productive source.
The book is a font of useful tips for travelers.
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the reservoir for oil in a lamp.
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Archaic. a fountain.
noun
noun
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a large bowl for baptismal water, usually mounted on a pedestal
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a receptacle for holy water
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the reservoir for oil in an oil lamp
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archaic a fountain or well
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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”; see found 3
Explanation
A font is the specific style of text that's printed on a page or displayed on a computer screen. It's also the name for the container that holds water used in church baptisms. When designers talk about fonts, they mean the design, size, and boldness of letters and symbols. Many people use font and typeface interchangeably, but it's more accurate to distinguish the terms. Times New Roman is a typeface, but a specific version of it, like Times New Roman bold 12pt, is a font — it specifies exactly how the text will look. The religious font has a different root, which it shares with fountain.
Vocabulary lists containing font
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As tech has grown as an overwhelming force in our lives, the visual design cornerstones associated with it—arial font, minimalist branding, bright colors and clean lines—have become the norm.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Emotions play a disproportionate role in driving decision-making. A mere inanimate logo, font or typeface goes only so far,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
I can't hold a heavy book and my eyesight is not great, on a Kindle I can choose my font.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
But despite his insistence that their shared directing credit will list her name above his and larger, at the end his name is ranked over hers in exactly the same font.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Salt water spilled everywhere, and the great stone font crashed to the floor in pieces.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
