fountain

/ˈfaʊnt(ə)n/

/ˈfaʊntɪn/

Other forms: fountains

A fountain is a decorative structure that shoots streams of water into the air. You might see a big fountain in front of a museum, or install a small one in your back yard.

You can use the noun fountain any time you talk about a shooting flow of water, whether it's a deliberate, artificial piece of architecture or an accidental fountain caused by the faucet in your kitchen sink breaking suddenly, sending a fountain of water into the air. The earliest, fifteenth century meaning of fountain was "spring of water that collects in a pool," from the Latin root word fons, "spring of water."

Definitions of fountain

1. noun

   a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
   types:

   bubbler, drinking fountain, water fountain

   a public fountain to provide a jet of drinking water

   type of:

   construction, structure

   a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
2. noun

   a plumbing fixture that provides a flow of water
   synonyms: fount

   type of:

   plumbing fixture

   a fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building
3. noun

   a natural flow of ground water
   synonyms: natural spring, outflow, outpouring, spring

   types:

   Fountain of Youth

   a fountain described in folk tales as able to make people young again

   geyser

   a spring that discharges hot water and steam

   hot spring, thermal spring

   a natural spring of water at a temperature of 70 F or above

   type of:

   formation, geological formation

   (geology) the geological features of the earth
4. noun

   an artificially produced flow of water
   synonyms: jet

   type of:

   flow, flowing

   the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)