First published 1897; not yet revised

fountainheadnoun

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Forms
Frequency

Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the noun fountainhead mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun fountainhead. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

See meaning & use

How common is the noun fountainhead?

About 0.09occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750	0.24
1760	0.24
1770	0.25
1780	0.27
1790	0.31
1800	0.33
1810	0.37
1820	0.43
1830	0.49
1840	0.54
1850	0.57
1860	0.6
1870	0.6
1880	0.56
1890	0.51
1900	0.46
1910	0.39
1920	0.32
1930	0.26
1940	0.21
1950	0.17
1960	0.13
1970	0.11
1980	0.099
1990	0.088
2000	0.076
2010	0.071

See frequency

How is the noun fountainhead pronounced?

British English

/ˈfaʊnt(ᵻ)nhɛd/

FOWN-tuhn-hed

U.S. English

/ˈfaʊnt(ə)nˌ(h)ɛd/

FOWN-tuhn-hed

See pronunciation

Where does the noun fountainhead come from?

Earliest known use

late 1500s

The earliest known use of the noun fountainhead is in the late 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for fountainhead is from 1585, in a translation by Thomas Washington.

fountainhead is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: fountain n., head n.1

See etymology

Nearby entries

foundress, n.¹c1450–
foundress, n.²1638
foundry, n.1601–
found stone, n.1800–
fount, n.¹1594–
fount, n.²1683–
fountain, n.1481–
fountain, v.1903–
fountained, adj.1818–
fountaineer, n.1603–60
fountainhead, n.1585–
fountaining, adj.1883–
fountainless, adj.1671–
fountainlet, n.a1661–
fountainous, adj.1662–
fountainously, adv.1662–
fountain-pen, n.1712–
fountain-pipe, n.1664–
fountain-water, n.1572–1678
fountful, adj.?1611–
founting, adj.1827–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Pronunciation

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Entry history for fountainhead, n.

fountainhead, n. was first published in 1897; not yet revised.

fountainhead, n. was last modified in September 2023.

The following sections of this entry have been updated:

Etymology (2023)
Forms (2023)

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into fountainhead, n. in September 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1897)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View fountain-head in OED Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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MLA9

“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for fountainhead, n.

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Nearby entries

foundress, n.¹c1450–
foundress, n.²1638
foundry, n.1601–
found stone, n.1800–
fount, n.¹1594–
fount, n.²1683–
fountain, n.1481–
fountain, v.1903–
fountained, adj.1818–
fountaineer, n.1603–60
fountainhead, n.1585–
fountaining, adj.1883–
fountainless, adj.1671–
fountainlet, n.a1661–
fountainous, adj.1662–
fountainously, adv.1662–
fountain-pen, n.1712–
fountain-pipe, n.1664–
fountain-water, n.1572–1678
fountful, adj.?1611–
founting, adj.1827–

Browse more nearby entries