font

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈfänt 

1

a

: a receptacle for baptismal water

b

: a receptacle for holy water

c

: a receptacle for various liquids

2

: source, fountain

a font of information

fontal

ˈfän-tᵊl 

adjective

font

2 of 2

noun (2)

: an assortment or set of type or characters all of one style and sometimes one size

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• cradle
• fountain
• fountainhead
• origin
• root
• seedbed
• source
• spring
• well
• wellspring

Examples of font in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a domestic diva who is a seemingly endless font of new ideas

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The 1-minute, -25-second video features imagery of empty recording studios, with the names of the album’s tracks in a bold white font above the video. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 25 Feb. 2025

Though the shoes are nude, the styles include Jimmy Choo and Jean Paul Gaultier written across them in a newsprint font. —Mikelle Street, WWD, 7 Feb. 2025

Elsbeth also clicks right away with Cheryl, who had previously been Cole’s former journey partner and is a font of Heiwa Zen Center lore and details about Cole. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025

From a medieval English baptismal font with its original stucco intact (Blumka Gallery, D7) to a strangely jubilant gouache of a volcanic eruption in 1830 (Hill-Stone, D3), the fair still leans on museum-grade objects that boast enough oddity to beckon the wallets of collectors. —Walker Mimms, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin font-, fons, from Latin, fountain

Noun (2)

French fonte, from Middle French, act of founding, from Vulgar Latin *fundita, feminine of funditus, past participle of Latin fundere to found, pour — more at found

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

circa 1688, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing font

• proportional font/typeface

Rhymes for font

• daunt
• flaunt
• gaunt
• haunt
• jaunt
• pont
• taunt
• vaunt
• want
• avant
• croissant
• detente

Kids Definition

font

1 of 2 noun

ˈfänt 

1

: a basin for baptismal or holy water

2

: fountain sense 2

font

2 of 2 noun

: an assortment of type or characters all of one size and style

Etymology

Noun

Old English font "basin for holy water," derived from Latin font-, fons "fountain, spring" — related to fountain

Noun

from early French fonte "act of casting metal," derived from Latin fundere "to pour melted metal into a mold" — related to found entry 3, founder entry 2