fountain

[foun-tn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fountain ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a spring or source of water; the source or head of a stream.

the source or origin of anything.

a jet or stream of water (or other liquid) made by mechanical means to spout or rise from an opening or structure, as to afford water for use, to cool the air, or to serve for ornament.

a structure for discharging such a jet or a number of jets, often an elaborate or artistic work with basins, sculptures, etc.

drinking fountain.

soda fountain.

a reservoir for a liquid to be supplied gradually or continuously, as in a fountain pen.

Heraldry. a roundel barry-wavy, argent and azure.

Origin of fountain

1375–1425; late Middle English fontayne < Old French fontaine < Late Latin fontāna, noun use of feminine of Latin fontānus of a spring, equivalent to font- (stem of fons) spring + -ānus -an

Related formsfoun·tained, adjectivefoun·tain·less, adjectivefoun·tain·like, adjectiveun·foun·tained, adjective

Synonyms for fountain

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fountain ON THESAURUS.COM

2. birthplace, cradle, genesis, wellspring.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fountain

geyser, stream, reservoir, origin, spring, mine, font, wellspring, jet, provenance, pump, cause, play, lode, spray, inception, inspiration, fount, spout, well

Examples from the Web for fountain

Contemporary Examples of fountain

Terry Chung, an expert on fluidics and fountain systems, led the engineering of the mechanical systems.
Font of Invention
September 18, 2014
He wandered into Fountain City, a suburb of Knoxville, where he fended for himself.
Football Great Bob Suffridge Wanders Through the End Zone of Life
Paul Hemphill
September 6, 2014
A few of those community leaders invited Scopes to the drugstore, bought him a fountain drink, and convinced him to stand trial.
The Scopes Monkey Trial 2.0: It’s Not About the Stupid Science-Deniers
Michael Schulson
July 21, 2014
Depending on who you ask, cardio exercise is either the fountain of youth or the ticket to an early grave.
Dispelling the ‘Chronic Cardio’ Myth
Jason Fitzgerald
April 23, 2014
The Fountain was one long fight, The Wrestler was divorce, and then we reconciled on Black Swan.
‘Noah’ is a Global Warming Epic About the Battle Between Religion and Science, Says Cinematographer
Marlow Stern
March 27, 2014

Historical Examples of fountain

Then he moved from the fountain in the direction of the Strand.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
Perhaps the sweet drip of the fountain cooled his hot thoughts.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
Only the fountain and the shadows and the artist's brush moved there.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
They pay for the farm of this fountain about fifty crowns per annum.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 497, July 11, 1885
Various
And why they came toward the Fountain at all is a mystery; for they had no business there.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for fountain

fountain

noun

a jet or spray of water or some other liquid

a structure from which such a jet or a number of such jets spurt, often incorporating figures, basins, etc

a natural spring of water, esp the source of a stream

a stream, jet, or cascade of sparks, lava, etc

a principal source or origin

a reservoir or supply chamber, as for oil in a lamp

short for drinking fountain, soda fountain

Derived Formsfountained, adjectivefountainless, adjectivefountain-like, adjective

Word Origin for fountain

C15: from Old French fontaine, from Late Latin fontāna, from Latin fons spring, source

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fountain

early 15c., "spring of water that collects in a pool," from Old French fontaine "natural spring" (12c.), from Late Latin fontana "fountain, spring" (source of Spanish and Italian fontana), from noun use of fem. of Latin fontanus "of a spring," from fons (genitive fontis) "spring (of water);" cognate with Sanskrit dhanvati "flows, runs."

The extended sense of "artificial jet of water" (and the structures that make them) is first recorded c.1500. "A French fountain-pen is described in 1658 and Miss Burney used one in 1789" [Weekley].