font
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fɒnt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /fɑnt/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɒnt
Etymology 1
From Old English font, an early borrowing from Latin fōns, fontis (“fountain”).
Noun
font (plural fonts)
- (Christianity) A receptacle in a church for holy water, especially one used in baptism.
- Synonym: stoup
- Hyponym: baptismal font
- She dipped her fingers in the font and crossed herself.
- 1791, Christopher Smart, “Moderation”, in Hymns for the Amusement of Children:
- Blessed be God, that, at the font, / My sponsors bound me to the call / Of Christ in England to confront / The world, the flesh, the fiend and all.
- 1913, John Bertram Peterson, “Baptismal Font”, in Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 2:
- In the Apostolic Age, as in Jewish times (John, iii, 23), baptism was administered without special fonts, at the seaside or in streams or pools of water (Acts, viii, 38); […]
- A receptacle for lamp oil in a lamp.
Derived terms
Translations
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
|
See also
Etymology 2
From Middle French fonte (“act or process of founding or melting; act of producing items from molten metal; cast iron; set of type”) (modern French fonte), either:[1]
- from fondre (“to melt, melt down; to smelt”), from Old French fondre, from Latin fundere, the present active infinitive of fundō (“to pour out; to make by smelting, found”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”); or
- from Late Latin *fundita, a noun use of funditus, a perfect passive participle form of Latin fundō (see above; the classical Latin form is fūsus).
Noun
font (plural fonts)
- (typography) A set of glyphs of unified design, belonging to one typeface (e.g., Helvetica), style (e.g., italic), and weight (e.g., bold). Usually representing the letters of an alphabet and its supplementary characters.
- In metal typesetting, a set of type sorts in one size.
- In phototypesetting, a set of patterns forming glyphs of any size, or the film they are stored on.
- In digital typesetting, a set of glyphs in a single style, representing one or more alphabets or writing systems, or the computer code representing it.
- (originally computing, typography, informal) A typeface.
- (computing, typography, metonymic) A computer file containing the code used to draw and compose the glyphs of one or more typographic fonts on a computer display or printer.
- They bought a license for the Gulliver font and installed that font on several machines.
Alternative forms
- fount (UK, chiefly dated, historical)
Derived terms
- bitmap font
- clip font
- color font
- font family
- fontless
- font name
- fontography
- fontology
- font stack
- font suitcase
- multifont
- outline font
- pi font
- printer font
- roman font
- screen font
- soundfont
- subfont
- Unicode font
- variable font
- webfont
Descendants
- → Thai: ฟอนต์ (fɔ́n)
Translations
|
|
Verb
font (third-person singular simple present fonts, present participle fonting, simple past and past participle fonted)
- (transitive, television, informal) To overlay (text) on the picture.
- 1981, William Safire, On language, page 78:
- When figures or quotes are thought helpful to understanding a spot, they're "fonted" over the cover picture.
- 1987, The Foundation Center, Promoting issues & ideas: a guide to public relations for nonprofit organizations, page 97:
- […] character generator instead of an easel card to create letters on camera or telephone numbers that can run across the TV screen. The process is called fonting.
Etymology 3
Apparently from fount, with influence from the senses above (under etymology 1).
Noun
font (plural fonts)
- (figuratively) A source, wellspring, fount.
- 1824 — George Gordon, Lord Byron, Don Juan, canto V
- A gaudy taste; for they are little skill'd in
The arts of which these lands were once the font
- A gaudy taste; for they are little skill'd in
- 1910, Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, part II:
- As I am not drawing here on the font of imagination to refresh that of fact and experience, I do not suggest that the Tarot set the example of expressing Secret Doctrine in pictures and that it was followed by Hermetic writers; but it is noticeable that it is perhaps the earliest example of this art.
- 1915, Woodrow Wilson, Third State of the Union Address:
- I am interested to fix your attention on this prospect now because unless you take it within your view and permit the full significance of it to command your thought I cannot find the right light in which to set forth the particular matter that lies at the very font of my whole thought as I address you to-day.
- 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress:
- The Bible lays special stress on the fear of God as the font of wisdom.
- 1824 — George Gordon, Lord Byron, Don Juan, canto V
Derived terms
Translations
References
- ^ “font, n.2”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2024; “font2, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Further reading
- font on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- holy water font on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- baptismal font on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Latin fontem m.
Pronunciation
Noun
font f (plural fonts)
- fountain
- source (of water)
- source (origin)
- (journalism) source
- (typography) font
Synonyms
(fountain): fontana
Derived terms
Related terms
- fontaner
- fontaneria
- fontinyol
Further reading
- “font”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “font”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
- “font” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “font” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɔ̃/, (in liaison) /fɔ̃.t‿/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɔ̃
Verb
font
- third-person plural present indicative of faire
Friulian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Noun
font m (plural fonts)
- bottom
- background
- landed property, farm
- fund
Related terms
Hungarian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈfont]
- Hyphenation: font
- Rhymes: -ont
Etymology 1
From German Pfund, from Latin pondo.[1]
Noun
font (plural fontok)
- pound (weight)
- pound (currency unit)
- Synonym: font sterling
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | font | fontok |
| accusative | fontot | fontokat |
| dative | fontnak | fontoknak |
| instrumental | fonttal | fontokkal |
| causal-final | fontért | fontokért |
| translative | fonttá | fontokká |
| terminative | fontig | fontokig |
| essive-formal | fontként | fontokként |
| essive-modal | — | — |
| inessive | fontban | fontokban |
| superessive | fonton | fontokon |
| adessive | fontnál | fontoknál |
| illative | fontba | fontokba |
| sublative | fontra | fontokra |
| allative | fonthoz | fontokhoz |
| elative | fontból | fontokból |
| delative | fontról | fontokról |
| ablative | fonttól | fontoktól |
| non-attributive possessive – singular |
fonté | fontoké |
| non-attributive possessive – plural |
fontéi | fontokéi |
| possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person sing. | fontom | fontjaim |
| 2nd person sing. | fontod | fontjaid |
| 3rd person sing. | fontja | fontjai |
| 1st person plural | fontunk | fontjaink |
| 2nd person plural | fontotok | fontjaitok |
| 3rd person plural | fontjuk | fontjaik |
Derived terms
- fontol
- fontos
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English font, from Middle French fonte, feminine past participle of fondre (“to melt”), from Latin fundō (“I melt”).[1]
Noun
font (plural fontok)
- (typography) digital font (set of glyphs of unified design contained in a computer file)
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | font | fontok |
| accusative | fontot | fontokat |
| dative | fontnak | fontoknak |
| instrumental | fonttal | fontokkal |
| causal-final | fontért | fontokért |
| translative | fonttá | fontokká |
| terminative | fontig | fontokig |
| essive-formal | fontként | fontokként |
| essive-modal | — | — |
| inessive | fontban | fontokban |
| superessive | fonton | fontokon |
| adessive | fontnál | fontoknál |
| illative | fontba | fontokba |
| sublative | fontra | fontokra |
| allative | fonthoz | fontokhoz |
| elative | fontból | fontokból |
| delative | fontról | fontokról |
| ablative | fonttól | fontoktól |
| non-attributive possessive – singular |
fonté | fontoké |
| non-attributive possessive – plural |
fontéi | fontokéi |
| possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person sing. | fontom | fontjaim |
| 2nd person sing. | fontod | fontjaid |
| 3rd person sing. | fontja | fontjai |
| 1st person plural | fontunk | fontjaink |
| 2nd person plural | fontotok | fontjaitok |
| 3rd person plural | fontjuk | fontjaik |
Etymology 3
From the verb fon (“to spin [yarn], braid [hair], weave [basket], twist [rope], twine [arms]”) + -t.
Verb
font
- third-person singular indicative past indefinite of fon
Participle
font
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | font | fontak |
| accusative | fontat | fontakat |
| dative | fontnak | fontaknak |
| instrumental | fonttal | fontakkal |
| causal-final | fontért | fontakért |
| translative | fonttá | fontakká |
| terminative | fontig | fontakig |
| essive-formal | fontként | fontakként |
| essive-modal | — | — |
| inessive | fontban | fontakban |
| superessive | fonton | fontakon |
| adessive | fontnál | fontaknál |
| illative | fontba | fontakba |
| sublative | fontra | fontakra |
| allative | fonthoz | fontakhoz |
| elative | fontból | fontakból |
| delative | fontról | fontakról |
| ablative | fonttól | fontaktól |
| non-attributive possessive – singular |
fonté | fontaké |
| non-attributive possessive – plural |
fontéi | fontakéi |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN
Further reading
- (measure of weight; currency): font in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
- (past participle of fon: spun, braided, woven, twisted, twined): font in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Latin fons, via Old Norse fontr (sense 1), and French fonte, via English font (sense 2).
Noun
font m (definite singular fonten, indefinite plural fonter, definite plural fontene)
- a baptismal font
- (typography) font, or fount (UK)
References
- “font” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Latin fons, via Old Norse fontr (sense 1), and French fonte, via English font (sense 2).
Noun
font m (definite singular fonten, indefinite plural fontar, definite plural fontane)
- a baptismal font
- (typography) font, or fount (UK)
References
- “font” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Occitan
Alternative forms
Etymology
Noun
font f (plural fonts) (Mistralian)
Old English
Noun
font m
- alternative form of fant
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from English font, from Middle French fonte, feminine past participle of verb fondre (“to melt”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfɔnt/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɔnt
- Syllabification: font
Noun
font m inan
Declension
Further reading
- font in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
Etymology
Noun
font n (plural fonturi)
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | ||
| nominative-accusative | font | fontul | fonturi | fonturile | |
| genitive-dative | font | fontului | fonturi | fonturilor | |
| vocative | fontule | fonturilor | |||
Swedish
Noun
font c
- (typography) a font
Usage notes
- The synonym teckensnitt is considered more correct.
Declension
| nominative | genitive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | indefinite | font | fonts |
| definite | fonten | fontens | |
| plural | indefinite | fonter | fonters |
| definite | fonterna | fonternas |