wellspring

[wel-spring]

See more synonyms for wellspring on Thesaurus.com

noun

the head or source of a spring, stream, river, etc.; fountainhead.
a source or supply of anything, especially when considered inexhaustible: a wellspring of affection.

Origin of wellspring

before 900; Middle English welle spring, Old English wyllspring; see well², spring

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for wellspring

origin, root, source, beginning, fountainhead, aquifer

Examples from the Web for wellspring

Contemporary Examples of wellspring

Nor should our recognition of Edward Snowden occasion our rejection of peace and joy as a wellspring of our lives.
Edward Snowden, Not Pope Francis, Is the Person of the Year
James Poulos
December 12, 2013
Mexico, Mexico City in particular, has been a wellspring for the global art world for a while.
Mexico’s Dark Past and Present
William O’Connor
June 21, 2013
Jeffress was of course tapping into a wellspring of anti-Mormon prejudice in the culture.
Calling Out Christian Hatemongers
Lauren Ashburn
October 14, 2011

Historical Examples of wellspring

Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood
The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook, says the Wise Man.
The Chaplain of the Fleet
Walter Besant and James Rice
And what a godsend and wellspring of delight Jess and his store were to all Rockhaven's progeny.
Rockhaven
Charles Munn
Eugenie's first and only love was a wellspring of sadness within her.
Eugenie Grandet
Honore de Balzac
And the body is, of necessity, a wellspring of energy; it has to do something.
Democracy and Education
John Dewey

British Dictionary definitions for wellspring

wellspring

noun

the source of a spring or stream; fountainhead
a source of continual or abundant supply

Word Origin for wellspring

Old English welspryng, wylspring; see well ², spring

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 wellspring

Old English welspryng, literal and figurative, see well (n.) + spring (n.2).