Dictionary

fountain en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [ˈfaʊn.ʔn̩] (US)
• (General-American) audio
• [ˈfaʊn.tn̩] (US)
• /ˈfaʊn.tɪn/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?]; from Old French fontaine (whence modern fontaine); from Late Latin fontana, from Latin fontanus, fontaneus, adjectives from fons (“source, spring”).

Meanings

1. (qualifier:originally) A natural source of water; a spring.
   • A little fountaine became a riuer, and there was light, & the Sunne, and much water: this riuer is Eſther, whō the King married and made Queene. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Esther 10:6:
2. An artificial, usually ornamental, water feature (usually in a garden or public place) consisting of one or more streams of water originating from a statue or other structure.
   • His house is right beside that fountain on Street 15.
3. The structure from which an artificial fountain can issue.
   • As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note. 1922, Michael Arlen, “Ep./4/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, →OL:
4. A reservoir from which liquid can be drawn.
   • They heard her rouse the sleeping servant, and with her enter the kitchen; then the noise of a fire being lighted and the fountain being filled came to the watchers. 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 208:
5. (figuratively) A source or origin of a flow (e.g., of favors or knowledge).
   • My lighter moods are like to these, ⁠That out of words a comfort win; ⁠But there are other griefs within, And tears that at their fountain freeze; […] 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 33:
   • Nothing will pleaſe ſome Men, but Books ſtuff’d with Antiquity, groaning under the weight of Learned Quotations drawn from the Fountains: And what is all this but Pilfering. 1700, Tom Brown, Amusements Serious and Comical, calculated for the Meridian of London, page 5:
6. A roundel barry wavy argent and azure.
   • Argent, seme of fountains on a chief azure a Lorraine cross and an oak leaf of the first. Crest, None. Motto, Able and Ready. The blue of the shield represents Infantry. The fountains are emblematic of Arizona,[…] 1953, United States. Department of the Army. Office of Military History, The Army Lineage Book, page 828:
   • Crest : A boar's head couped gold semy of fountains armed gules. Motto : REMIS VELISQUE. Granted by the College of Arms 1966. 1928, New England Historic Genealogical Society. Committee on Heraldry, A Roll of Arms:
7. A juggling pattern typically done with an even number of props where each prop is caught by the same hand that throws it.
8. (US) A soda fountain.
   • A Sproke was a soft drink Gloria and I had created with Jimbo’s help at the Banana Shack. It was basically fountain Coke mixed with fountain Sprite. 2018, Chris Grabenstein, Sandapalooza Shake-up, New York: Random House, →ISBN, page 67:
   • He takes out a soup bowl, fills it with Pepsi from the fountain, and places it carefully on the counter in front of the boy. “That'll be a quarter,” he says professionally. 2014, Danielle Sarver Coombs, Bob Batchelor, We Are What We Sell: How Advertising Shapes American Life... and Always Has, page 222:
9. (US) A drink poured from a soda fountain, or the cup it is poured into.
10. A ground-based firework that projects sparks similar to a water fountain.
11. (figuratively) Anything that resembles a fountain in operation.
    • Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of their blast in such conditions. 1962 June, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Modern Railways, page 399:

Forms

Deriveds

ice fountain · fountain code · fountain effect · fountain shell · Fountain Hills · soda fountain chair · kugel fountain · fire fountain · fountaineer · fountainlet · fountain pen · fountain water · fountain drink · fountain lamp · fountainless · fountain chair · water fountain · fountainlike · Heron's fountain · soda fountain · fountaingrass · fountain pressure · fountain of youth · fountainhead · drinking fountain · fountain apple moss · chain fountain · fountainous · fountainwise · air fountain · Fountaindale · Fountains Earth · ink fountain

Relateds

font

Synonyms

fount · wellspring · syke

Translations (172)

eo fontano (artificial water feature) · tr şadırvan (artificial water feature) · ru фонта́н (artificial water feature) · fa-ira فَوَّارِه (artificial water feature) · da fontæne (artificial water feature) · fi suihkukaivo (structure from which a fountain issues) · he מִזרָקָה (artificial water feature) · ps شرشره (artificial water feature) · pt chafariz (structure from which a fountain issues) · af fontein (artificial water feature) · fi suihkukaivo (artificial water feature) · lkt wiwila (artificial water feature) · sh фо̀нта̄на (artificial water feature) · ky фонтан (artificial water feature) · sc fantana (artificial water feature) · de Springbrunnen (artificial water feature) · ab аӡыршә (artificial water feature) · pt chafariz (artificial water feature) · ps فواره (artificial water feature) · fi suihkulähde (structure from which a fountain issues) · es fuente (source or origin of a flow) · be вадагра́й (artificial water feature) · ru исто́чник (source or origin of a flow) · ko 분수 (artificial water feature) · mi puna torotī (artificial water feature) · my ရေပန်း (artificial water feature) · mn усан оргилуур (artificial water feature) · uk водогра́й (artificial water feature) · es fuente (artificial water feature) · mi puna (source or origin of a flow) · vi suối nước (artificial water feature) · yua sayab ha' (artificial water feature) · tyv фонтан (artificial water feature) · ms air pancut (artificial water feature) · nah āmēyalli (artificial water feature) · pt fonte (source or origin of a flow) · el σιντριβάνι (artificial water feature) · is gosbrunnur (artificial water feature) · kk су бұрқақ (artificial water feature) · sk fontána (artificial water feature) · mt funtana (artificial water feature) · hi फ़व्वारा (artificial water feature) · sh fòntāna (artificial water feature) · sh фо̀нта̄на (structure from which a fountain issues) · hy շատրվան (artificial water feature) · nv tó háálį́įgo bá hazʼą́ (artificial water feature) · ug فونتان (artificial water feature) · tl bátis (artificial water feature) · nb fontene (artificial water feature) · gu ફુવારો (artificial water feature) · ky оргума (artificial water feature) · cv пӗрхӗнчӗк (artificial water feature) · de Fontäne (artificial water feature) · sv fontän (artificial water feature) · hi सोता (artificial water feature) · sc puntana (artificial water feature) · fr fontaine (structure from which a fountain issues) · uk фонта́н (structure from which a fountain issues) · kk су атқыш (artificial water feature) · zza ini (artificial water feature) · sl vodna fontana (artificial water feature) · he מקור (source or origin of a flow) · hu forrás (source or origin of a flow) · es fontana (artificial water feature) · tk fontan (artificial water feature) · az fontan (artificial water feature) · ca font (artificial water feature) · ar فَوَّارَة (artificial water feature) · ajp نافورة (artificial water feature) · ur مَنْبَع (artificial water feature) · ta ஊற்று (artificial water feature) · gl fonte (artificial water feature) · cmn 噴水池 /喷水池 (artificial water feature) · ta நீரூற்று (structure from which a fountain issues) · bg изто́чник (source or origin of a flow) · kk бұрқақ (artificial water feature) · mi puna torotī (structure from which a fountain issues) · el πηγή (source or origin of a flow) · sc funtana (artificial water feature) · scn funtana (artificial water feature) · lv strūklaka (artificial water feature) · ru кла́дезь (source or origin of a flow) · lv fontāns (artificial water feature) · ta நீரூற்று (artificial water feature) · ce хизаза (artificial water feature) · mr कारंजा (artificial water feature) · fi lähde (source or origin of a flow) · ota چشمه (artificial water feature) · sv springbrunn (artificial water feature) · rif tara (artificial water feature) · it fontana (artificial water feature) · hu szökőkút (artificial water feature) · da springvand (artificial water feature) · es chafariz (artificial water feature) · sl fontana (artificial water feature) · lt fontanas (artificial water feature) · nl fontein (artificial water feature) · uz fontan (artificial water feature) · fa-ira آبنَما (artificial water feature) · ur فَوَّارَہ (artificial water feature) · tk çüwdürim (artificial water feature) · ga scardán (uisce) (artificial water feature) · cs fontána (structure from which a fountain issues) · he מזרקה (structure from which a fountain issues) · bg фонта́н (structure from which a fountain issues) · bo འཐོར་ཆུ (artificial water feature) · bg водоско́к (artificial water feature) · uz favvora (artificial water feature) · nb springvann (artificial water feature) · afb نافورة (artificial water feature) · ro fântână (artificial water feature) · af fontein (structure from which a fountain issues) · id air mancur (artificial water feature) · et allikas (artificial water feature) · bg фонта́н (artificial water feature) · et purskkaev (artificial water feature) · th น้ำพุ (artificial water feature) · vi đài phun nước (artificial water feature) · pl fontanna (artificial water feature) · ka შადრევანი (artificial water feature) · ru фонта́н (structure from which a fountain issues) · sah фонтан (artificial water feature) · uk фонта́н (artificial water feature) · sv vattenkonst (artificial water feature) · tr çeşme (artificial water feature) · ja 噴水 (artificial water feature) · tg фаввора (artificial water feature) · fy fontein (artificial water feature) · sh fòntāna (structure from which a fountain issues) · cs fontána (artificial water feature) · ar نَافُورَة (artificial water feature) · bo བཅོས་མའི་ལུ་མ (artificial water feature) · sq shatërvan (artificial water feature) · hy շատրվան (structure from which a fountain issues) · de Brunnen (artificial water feature) · uk джерело́ (source or origin of a flow) · ary نافورة (artificial water feature) · fr fontaine (artificial water feature) · ur سوتا (artificial water feature) · hy աղբյուր (source or origin of a flow) · hy ակունք (source or origin of a flow) · pt fonte (artificial water feature) · nn fontene (artificial water feature) · km ប្រភពទឹក (artificial water feature) · lv strūklaka (structure from which a fountain issues) · hu kútfő (source or origin of a flow) · lld funtana (artificial water feature) · pl wodotrysk (artificial water feature) · be фанта́н (artificial water feature) · pt fonte (structure from which a fountain issues) · cs kašna (artificial water feature) · mk фонта́на (artificial water feature) · vo foned (artificial water feature) · cmn 噴泉 /喷泉 (artificial water feature) · fur fontane (artificial water feature) · mfe lafontenn (artificial water feature) · lo ນ້ຳພຸ (artificial water feature) · bg шадрава́н (artificial water feature) · br feunteun (artificial water feature) · nl fontein (structure from which a fountain issues) · fi suihkulähde (artificial water feature) · mn ᠤᠰᠤᠨ ᠣᠷᠭᠢᠯᠠᠭᠤᠷ (artificial water feature) · sq burim (source or origin of a flow) · fa-ira شادُرْوان (artificial water feature) · nl bron (source or origin of a flow) · az fəvvarə (artificial water feature) · tg шодурвон (artificial water feature) · tt фонтан (artificial water feature) · hy ակ (source or origin of a flow) · yi פֿאָנטאַן (artificial water feature) · uz tahoratgoh (artificial water feature) · kmr şadrewan (artificial water feature)

fountain en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ˈfaʊn.ʔn̩] (US)
• (General-American) audio
• [ˈfaʊn.tn̩] (US)
• /ˈfaʊn.tɪn/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?]; from Old French fontaine (whence modern fontaine); from Late Latin fontana, from Latin fontanus, fontaneus, adjectives from fons (“source, spring”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To flow or gush as if from a fountain.
   • Lava fountained from the volcano.
   • The fireflies swept toward him from all directions, in streams and rivers and currents of light, a vortex a hundred yards across, spiraling into the brighter center. They met over his supine body like ocean breakers, cascading, fountaining into the air. 1978, Tom Reamy, Blind Voices:

Forms

Translations (2)

uk фонтанува́ти (to flow or gush as if from a fountain) · fi pulputa (to flow or gush as if from a fountain)