wellspring

American  

[wel-spring] / ˈwɛlˌsprɪŋ /

noun

1. the head or source of a spring, stream, river, etc.; fountainhead.

2. a source or supply of anything, especially when considered inexhaustible.

   a wellspring of affection.

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wellspring British  

/ ˈwɛlˌsprɪŋ /

noun

1. the source of a spring or stream; fountainhead

2. a source of continual or abundant supply

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Etymology

Origin of wellspring

First recorded before 900; Middle English welle spring, Old English wyllspring(e); see origin at well ², spring

Explanation

The underground spring that provides water to a well can be called a wellspring. You can also use wellspring to mean the plentiful source of things like good ideas or information. If someone comments that you're a wellspring of jokes, they're using the word metaphorically, to mean that jokes seem to pour out of you like water from a spigot. Wellspring comes from the Old English welspryng, which had the literal "spring" meaning. When it's used figuratively, wellspring implies an infinite amount of something: "My dog is a wellspring of affection and stinky breath."

Example Sentences

"Make no mistake, Erivo remains a powerhouse, with pipes that shake the heavens and a wellspring of unforced emotional intensity that never runs dry."

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

Angela’s vivid mood swings are a wellspring of entertainment; Tommy associates her phone number with an orchestral ringtone that sounds like a horror movie jump scare.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

The 18th-century cult of reason met its match in the 19th century’s devotion to feeling—including suffering—as the wellspring of life and truth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Pioneers of the sport, firmly planted in the wellspring of 19th-century Scotland, are given their due.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2025

For thousands of years Mesoamerica was a wellspring of cultural innovation and growth.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann