fountain

[ foun-tn ]

/ ˈfaʊn 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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR fountain

2 birthplace, cradle, genesis, wellspring.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fountain ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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

Examples from the Web for fountain

Terry Chung, an expert on fluidics and fountain systems, led the engineering of the mechanical systems.
Font of Invention||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

After touching the glass of the fountain to ensure it's cold enough, Cuco prepares my drink with spoon and sugar.
The Absinthe-Minded Porteños of Buenos Aires|Jeff Campagna|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anath signified the fountain of light, and was abbreviated Nath and Neith by the Egyptians.
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume I.|Jacob Bryant
He found a walnut shell out of which the water was spouting as from a fountain.
The Book of Stories for the Storyteller|Fanny E. Coe
My fountain, which, as it flows from the mountain-side, is overshadowed by a many-covered grotto with its wide circle.
The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times|Alfred Biese
But later on he opened up the fountain of rage in his heart.
Dangerous Days|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Thus the sun is at once the great regulator of the planetary motions, and the fountain of light and heat.
Letters on Astronomy|Denison Olmsted

British Dictionary definitions for fountain

fountain

/ (ˈfaʊntɪn) /

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

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].