founder

noun

a person who founds or establishes.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English; see found², -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb (used without object)

(of a ship, boat, etc.) to fill with water and sink.

to fall or sink down, as buildings, ground, etc.: Built on a former lake bed, the building has foundered nearly ten feet.

to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered because public support was lacking.

to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse: His mount foundered on the rocky path.

to become ill from overeating.

Veterinary Pathology. (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.

verb (used with object)

to cause to fill with water and sink: Rough seas had foundered the ship in mid-ocean.

Veterinary Pathology. to cause (a horse) to break down, go lame, or suffer from laminitis.

noun

Veterinary Pathology, laminitis.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English foundren < Middle French fondrer to plunge to the bottom, submerge < Vulgar Latin *fundorāre, derivative of *fundor-, taken as stem of Latin fundus bottom

Related forms

un·foun·dered, adjective

un·foun·der·ing, adjective

Synonyms
3. collapse, perish, succumb, topple, sink; flop.

00:10

Founder is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

a person who founds or casts metal, glass, etc.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English; see found³, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To founder

Collins

World English Dictionary

founder¹ (ˈfaʊndə)

—n
	a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc

[C14: see found²]

founder² (ˈfaʊndə)

—vb
1.	(of a ship) to sink
2.	to break down or fail: the project foundered
3.	to sink into or become stuck in soft ground
4.	to fall in or give way; collapse
5.	(of a horse) to stumble or go lame
6.	archaic (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating

—n
7.	vet science another name for laminitis

usage Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering)

founder³ (ˈfaʊndə)

—n
	a. a person who makes metal castings
	b. (in combination): an iron founder

[C15: see found³]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

founder

early 14c., from O.Fr. fondrer "submerge, fall to the bottom," from fond "bottom," from L. fundus "bottom, foundation" (see fund (n.)). Related: Foundered; foundering.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

founder foun·der (foun'dər)
v. foun·dered, foun·der·ing, foun·ders