Revised as of
7 Jan 2023
I was checking the definition for fount before I used it in a book review and discovered font. It seemed like a good word confusion . . . until I discovered the American/British confusion!
A font is primarily considered a container — or “fountain” — for holy water in a Christian church with a much later definition as a typeface.
A fount is a shortening for fountain. Fount is also a source, which may be knowledge, a moral or psychological attribute, or material supplies.
Fount is mostly an American usage in terms of wisdom and purists prefer it while font is preferred by the British.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Font | Fount |
|---|---|
Ballina St. Muredach’s Cathedral Baptismal Font, Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland, by Andreas F Borchert is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Fount by Marcelosilvacosta is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun 1, 2
Plural: fonts Alternative spelling: fount [preferred for a typeface by the British] |
Noun
Plural: founts Alternative spelling: font [British] |
| [Printing, Lithography, Bookbinding] A set of type of one particular face and size 1
[Ecclesiastical] A basin for holding baptismal water in a church 2 [Ecclesiastical] A receptacle for holy water
The oil reservoir in an oil-burning lamp An abundant source
[Archaic or poetic] A fountain or well |
A source of a desirable quality or commodity
One that initiates or dispenses
[Literary] A spring or fountain |
| Examples: | |
| The written material is in a variety of fonts and formats.
“The creator of [the] much-reviled font Comic Sans has revealed he actually designed the font for a cartoon dog called Rover” (Molloy). “For all things are baptized at the font of eternity, and beyond good and evil; good and evil themselves, however, are but fugitive shadows and damp afflictions and passing clouds” (Nietzsche, 48). One should always dip two fingers in the font and cross oneself before entering the church proper. You can buy a font for holy water for your home. The discovery of oil allowed the invention of the perfect oil lamp with a font in the base of it, the fuel being fed to a circular or flat wick by capillary attraction, and a draught-producing glass chimney to insure a clear, steady light” (Clute). She was a font of wisdom and good sense. “Tradition has that the one who drinks from the Font de Canaletes will come back to Barcelona” (Font). |
“A bar in modern style, well replenished with decanters, bottles, cigar boxes, and net-work bags of lemons, and provided with a beer pump, and a soda fount, extends along one side of the room” (Hawthorne).
Our courier was a fount of knowledge. He was a fount of ideas. Damascus — the fount of modern Arab nationalism. “‘The miraculous fount hath ceased to flow!’ This shout burst from twenty pilgrim mouths at once” (Twain). ““From this fount did all those mischiefes flow” (Drayton). |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: fontal | Adjective: fountained Noun: fountain, fountainhead Verb, intransitive: fountain |
| History of the Word: | |
|
Late 16th century as a back-formation from fountain, on the pattern of the pair mountain > mount. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Font versus Fount
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
Clute, Eugene. “Flashback: Lamps and Illuminants.” Collectors Weekly. 26 Mar 2009. Web. 6 Dec 2022. <https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/lamps-and-illuminants/>.
Drayton, Michael. Poemes Lyrick and Pastorall. Originally published circa 1605. Palala Press, 2015. <https://amzn.to/3VRAHAu>. Hardcover.
“Font de Canaletes.” Wikipedia. 2 May 2022. Web. 6 Dec 2022. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Font_de_Canaletes>.
“Font vs Fount.” Grammarist. n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2022. <https://grammarist.com/usage/font-vs-fount/>.
The Free Dictionary: font, fount
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Legends Of The Province House.” Twice Told Tales. Originally published with 18 stories in 1837, and again in 1842 with 39 stories. Delhi Open Books, 2022. <https://amzn.to/3VVTScr>. Ebook.
Molloy, Mark. “Comic Sans Creator Reveals Bizarre Reason Why Font was Made.” The Telegraph. 29 Mar 2017. Web. 6 Dec 2022. <https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/03/29/comic-sans-creator-reveals-bizarre-reason-font-made/>.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. Nietzsche Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book For All And None. Originally published by Tübingen, Germany: Ernst Schmeitzner, 1883. 2015. <https://amzn.to/3VUOfLM>. Ebook.
O’Conner, Patricia T and Stewart Kellerman. “A ‘Fount’ or ‘Font’ of Knowledge?” Grammarphobia. 14 Apr 2017. Web. 6 Dec 2022. <https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2017/04/font-fount.html>.
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Originally published 1889. 2014. <https://amzn.to/3VTDdWY>. Ebook.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Fountain Typeface is courtesy of Free Fonts.
