fountain
Use Fountain in a sentence
tn1375–1425; late Middle English fontayne < Old French fontaine < Late Latin fontāna, noun use of feminine of Latin fontānus of a spring, equivalent to font- (stem of fons) spring + -ānus -an
Related forms
2. birthplace, cradle, genesis, wellspring.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
fountain (ˈfaʊntɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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. | drinking fountain short for soda fountain |
| [C15: from Old French fontaine, from Late Latin fontāna, from Latin fons spring, source] | |
| 'fountained | |
| —adj | |
| 'fountainless | |
| —adj | |
| 'fountain-like | |
| —adj | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
fountain
Cite This Source
Fountain definition
(Heb. 'ain; i.e., "eye" of the water desert), a natural source of living water. Palestine was a "land of brooks of water, of fountains, and depths that spring out of valleys and hills" (Deut. 8:7; 11:11). These fountains, bright sparkling "eyes" of the desert, are remarkable for their abundance and their beauty, especially on the west of Jordan. All the perennial rivers and streams of the country are supplied from fountains, and depend comparatively little on surface water. "Palestine is a country of mountains and hills, and it abounds in fountains of water. The murmur of these waters is heard in every dell, and the luxuriant foliage which surrounds them is seen in every plain." Besides its rain-water, its cisterns and fountains, Jerusalem had also an abundant supply of water in the magnificent reservoir called "Solomon's Pools" (q.v.), at the head of the Urtas valley, whence it was conveyed to the city by subterrean channels some 10 miles in length. These have all been long ago destroyed, so that no water from the "Pools" now reaches Jerusalem. Only one fountain has been discovered at Jerusalem, the so-called "Virgins's Fountains," in the valley of Kidron; and only one well (Heb. beer), the Bir Eyub, also in the valley of Kidron, south of the King's Gardens, which has been dug through the solid rock. The inhabitants of Jerusalem are now mainly dependent on the winter rains, which they store in cisterns. (See WELL.)
Cite This Source
