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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Comedy Central gave Sedaris, Colbert and Dinello broad creative leeway, and only occasionally asked for script changes — even though Jerri was a nonstop font of offensive language and gloriously profane imagery. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024

Now, against these headwinds – and against competition from other showcases and fonts of info made available and up-to-date all year long – MipTV must redefine itself. —Ben Croll, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

With a variety of print, font, and frame options, the art becomes a unique gift with custom text, like birth date, birthplace, or anything else. —Maya Polton, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024

There were red flags that this Google information was bogus, including an odd font and a website below the number that wasn’t JetBlue. —Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024

High-contrast colors enhance text readability against diverse backgrounds, while user customization options for text size, color and font improve accessibility. —Alex Kreger, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

And there are plenty of fun little mods that do things like change up the system fonts or replace the start-up message with a line-art image of your choice. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Mar. 2024

The book is much more than a formulaic, playful rom-com despite the marketing and the fairy tale font on the book cover. —Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued multiple recalls last week including Tesla's recall of approximately 2.2 million vehicles due to a potential hazard with safety warning signals appearing in a smaller font size. —USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

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

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