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fountainhead

[ foun-tn-hed ]
/ ˈfaʊn tnˌhɛd /
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noun

a fountain or spring from which a stream flows; the head or source of a stream.
a chief source of anything: a fountainhead of information.

RELATED WORDS

originator, administrator, generator, author, spring, builder, creator, father, leader, mother, maker, architect, fount, fountain, wellspring, initiator

Nearby words

fountain of youth, fountain pen, fountain plant, fountain syringe, fountain valley, fountainhead, fountains abbey, fouquet, fouquet, jean, fouquet, nicolas, fouquier-tinville

Origin of fountainhead

First recorded in 1575–85; fountain + head
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fountainhead

British Dictionary definitions for fountainhead

fountainhead

/ (ˈfaʊntɪnˌhɛd) /

noun

a spring that is the source of a stream
a principal or original 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 fountainhead

fountainhead

n.

"spring from which a stream flows," 1580s, from fountain + head (n.). Figurative use is from c.1600.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper