noun
fountain
A plumbing fixture that supplies flowing water
Where it comes from
Fountain came through Anglo-French fontaine from Late Latin fontana, a noun formed from Latin fontanus, of a spring. Fontanus came from fons, genitive fontis, a spring or source. The water sense also survives in the baptismal word font.
How the meaning developed
The word first named water issuing naturally from the ground, then an artificial jet and its structure. Because a spring supplies a continuing flow, fountain also became a metaphor for a source; a fountain pen was named for its reservoir-fed supply of ink.
In use
A fountain can be a natural spring or an artificial jet of water.
A fountain pen does not spray ink upward.
Sources
- Fountain Definition & Meaning
- Fountain: Etymology, Origin & Meaning
- Dipping Into the Mailbag: 'Yeet,' 'Typeface' vs. 'Font,' and 'Lo and Behold'
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-09-30. Report a correction.