Word of the Day

: June 28, 2009

founder

verb FOUN-der

What It Means

1 : to make or become disabled or lame

2 : to give way : collapse

3 : to become submerged : sink

4 : to come to grief : fail

founder in Context

As the vessel began to founder, the captain ordered everyone on board to prepare to abandon ship.

Did You Know?

"Founder" comes from Middle English "foundren," meaning "to send to the bottom" or "collapse." That word came from the Middle French verb "fondrer," and ultimately from the Latin noun "fundus," meaning "bottom." When something "founders," it usually hits the bottom in one sense or another. A foundering horse -- that is, a disabled one -- is likely to collapse to the ground. When a ship founders, it sinks to the bottom of the sea. "Founder" has a broader, figurative sense, too -- if your marriage or your career is foundering it isn't doing well and is therefore headed downward.