wellspring
Americannoun
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the head or source of a spring, stream, river, etc.; fountainhead.
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a source or supply of anything, especially when considered inexhaustible.
a wellspring of affection.
noun
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the source of a spring or stream; fountainhead
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a source of continual or abundant supply
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."
Vocabulary lists containing wellspring
Unwind
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Dry
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From Here
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The Odyssey” had to conjure the grand scale and mythic weight of Homer’s epic poem, the original hero’s journey, which has been a wellspring of western storytelling for thousands of years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Certainly there is a wry truth to Picasso’s opinion on artistic progress writ large, yet Ms. Chan is also persuasive in saying that new creativity springs from the same ancient wellspring Picasso was talking about.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
"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
Tears from a wellspring deep and dark streamed down my face.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
