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.
In spite of, or perhaps because of its history, the town these days is a wellspring of devotion.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
The point was to come up with something that was emblematic of the city, a piece that would reflect L.A.’s wellspring of creativity in the contemporary art world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
“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
"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
For many kids, the Net isn’t alienation, but its alternative; it’s their intellectual, social, cultural, and political wellspring.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
