Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

fountain of youth

noun

Definition of fountain of youth

1 or Fountain of Youth , in stories and legends :a fountain with magic water which when drunk will cause a person to live forever
2 :a source of the kind of energy or health that young people usually have
  • Exercise is good for you, but it's not a perfect fountain of youth.

Read the Latest from M-W

alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

Word by Word Definitions

fountain play

  1. : the source from which something proceeds or is supplied

  2. : a spring of water issuing from the earth

  3. : an artificially produced jet of water

  1. : to flow or spout like a fountain

  2. : to cause to flow like a fountain

See the full definition of fountain
youth play

  1. : the time of life when one is young

  2. : the early period of existence, growth, or development

  3. : a young person

See the full definition of youth

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fountain of youth? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

hew

play

to conform or adhere

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453
I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

alt-59e673567065d
The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Noah Webster first entered the term in 1840

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game