fountain

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foun·tain

(foun′tən)

a. An artificially created jet or stream of water.

b. A structure, often decorative, from which a jet or stream of water issues.

2. A spring, especially the source of a stream.

3. A reservoir or chamber containing a supply of liquid that can be siphoned off as needed.

4. A soda fountain.

5. A drinking fountain.

6. A point of origin or dissemination; a source: the library, a fountain of information.

intr. & tr.v. foun·tained, foun·tain·ing, foun·tains

To flow or cause to flow like a fountain.

[Middle English, from Old French fontaine, from Late Latin fontāna, from Latin, feminine of fontānus, of a spring, from fōns, font-, spring.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fountain

(ˈfaʊntɪn)

1. a jet or spray of water or some other liquid

2. a structure from which such a jet or a number of such jets spurt, often incorporating figures, basins, etc

3. a natural spring of water, esp the source of a stream

4. a stream, jet, or cascade of sparks, lava, etc

5. a principal source or origin

6. a reservoir or supply chamber, as for oil in a lamp

7. short for drinking fountain, soda fountain

[C15: from Old French fontaine, from Late Latin fontāna, from Latin fons spring, source]

ˈfountained adj

ˈfountainless adj

ˈfountain-ˌlike adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

foun•tain

(ˈfaʊn tn)

n.

1. a spring or source of water from the earth.

2. the source or origin of anything.

3. a jet or stream of water caused by mechanical means to spout from an opening or structure.

4. a structure for discharging such a jet.

5. drinking fountain.

6. soda fountain.

7. a reservoir for a liquid to be supplied continuously, as in a fountain pen.

[1375–1425; late Middle English fontayne < Old French fontaine < Late Latin fontāna, n. use of feminine of Latin fontānus of a spring =font-, s. of fons spring + -anus -an¹]

Fountain

a jet or stream of liquid. See also spring.

Example: fountains of blood, 1526.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	fountain - a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises bubbler, drinking fountain, water fountain - a public fountain to provide a jet of drinking water structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"
	2.	fountain - a natural flow of ground water natural spring, outpouring, spring, outflow Fountain of Youth - a fountain described in folk tales as able to make people young again; "Ponce de Leon discovered Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth" geological formation, formation - (geology) the geological features of the earth geyser - a spring that discharges hot water and steam hot spring, thermal spring - a natural spring of water at a temperature of 70 F or above
	3.	fountain - an artificially produced flow of water jet flow, flowing - the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
	4.	fountain - a plumbing fixture that provides a flow of water fount plumbing fixture - a fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building

fountain

noun

1. font, spring, reservoir, spout, fount, water feature, well In the centre of the courtyard was a round fountain.

2. jet, stream, spray, gush The volcano spewed a fountain of molten rock.

3. source, fount, wellspring, wellhead, beginning, rise, cause, origin, genesis, commencement, derivation, fountainhead You are a fountain of ideas.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

fountain

noun

A point of origination:

beginning, derivation, fount, fountainhead, mother, origin, parent, provenance, provenience, root, rootstock, source, spring, well.

Translations

مَنْبَع، مَصْدَرمَنْهَل، يَنْبوع، سَبيلنافُورَةنافورَه

fontánapramenvodotryskzdroj

fontænekildespringvandsprøjtstråle

Springbrunnen Brunnen Fontäne Quelle

σιντριβάνι βρύση

fuente

suihkulähdelähdepulputa

fontaine source

सोता

fontana

kútszökõkút

buna úr gosbrunnigosbrunnuruppspretta

fontana fontana a getto getto origine pozzo

噴水

분수

automatinis plunksnakotisfontanasparkerisšaltinis

avotsstrūklaka

fontein bron

fontene fontenevann kilde springvann utspring

fontanna

fonte chafariz

fântână

фонтан источник кладезь

fontána

vodomet

fontän

น้ำพุ

çeşme fıskiye kaynak

фонтан

tháp nước

人造喷泉喷泉泉水源泉

fountain

[ˈfaʊntɪn]

A. N (natural, also fig) → fuente f, manantial m; (artificial) → fuente f, surtidor m; (= jet) → chorro m
drinking fountain → fuente f (de agua potable)

B. CPD fountain pen N → estilográfica f, plumafuente f (LAm)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

fountain

[ˈfaʊntɪn] n [water] → fontaine f; [lava, steam] → jet mfountain pen n → stylo m plume, stylo m à plume

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

fountain

n → Brunnen m; (with upward jets also) → Springbrunnen m; (= jet, spurt: of water, lava etc) → Fontäne f; (= drinking fountain) → (Trinkwasser)brunnen m; (fig: = source) → Quelle f; fountain of youth → Jungbrunnen m

fountain

fountainhead

n (of river) → Quelle f; (fig) → Quelle f, → Ursprung m

fountain pen

n → Füllfederhalter m, → Füller m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

fountain

[ˈfaʊntɪn] n (also) (fig) → fontana

fountain

(ˈfauntin) noun

1. an often ornamental structure which produces a spring of water that rises into the air. Rome is famous for its beautifully carved stone fountains.

2. the water coming from such a structure. It was so hot that he stood under the fountain to get cool.

3. a source. God is the fountain of all goodness.

fountain pen

a kind of pen with a nib and containing a supply of ink which is released as one writes.

fountain

→ نافُورَة fontána fontæne Springbrunnen σιντριβάνι fuente suihkulähde fontaine fontana fontana 噴水 분수 fontein fontene fontanna fonte фонтан fontän น้ำพุ çeşme tháp nước 喷泉

References in classic literature ?

They cast their eye down into the fountain: and now glanceth up to me their odious smile out of the fountain.

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"They have built it right under my palace grounds, and it ends in front of the Forbidden Fountain. Nothing but a crust of earth remains to separate our enemies from us, and when they march here, they will easily break through this crust and rush upon us."

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He found at the foot of a large walnut-tree a fountain of clear and running water.

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"The poor woman can hardly drag herself along, and she must now drag the pail home from the fountain. Be a good boy, Tukey, and run across and help the old woman, won't you?"

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At last, swooping at a street corner by a fountain, one of its wheels came to a sickening little jolt, and there was a loud cry from a number of voices, and the horses reared and plunged.

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Quoth Robin, "Now will I go to seek this same Friar of Fountain Abbey of whom we spake yesternight, and I will take with me four of my good men, and these four shall be Little John, Will Scarlet, David of Doncaster, and Arthur a Bland.

View in context

While the coachman and a servant were replacing the wheel, the lady and gentleman sheltered themselves beneath the maple-trees, and there espied the bubbling fountain, and David Swan asleep beside it.

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"Better mix it up, I reckon--have suthin' half statoo, half fountain," interposed the elder Mattingly, better known as "Maryland Joe," "and set it up afore the Town Hall and Free Library I'm kalklatin' to give.

View in context

The eagles flew to the basin of a fountain that was there and bathed themselves, when suddenly they were changed into twelve handsome youths.

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For fountains, they are a great beauty and refreshment; but pools mar all, and make the garden unwholesome, and full of flies and frogs.

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From sumptuous Versailles, with its palaces, its statues, its gardens, and its fountains, we journeyed back to Paris and sought its antipodes-- the Faubourg St.

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Fouquet had divided a river into a thousand fountains, and gathered the waters of a thousand fountains into torrents.