Dictionary formfons, fontis(masculine)
Translation
spring, fountain; source, origin
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Grammar
Cases
| Case | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativethe subject | fons | fontes |
| Vocativecalling someone: O ... | fons | fontes |
| Accusativethe direct object; after ad, in (into), per | fontem | fontes |
| Genitiveof | fontis | fontium |
| Dativeto, for | fonti | fontibus |
| Ablativeby, with, from; after a, ab, cum, de, e, ex, in (in), sine | fonte | fontibus |
Examples
.
The spring was in the middle of the wood.
.
They came to the spring for water.
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They drew water from the spring.
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The springs of the mountains are clean.
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God is the source of every good.
Fons, fontis, m., third declension, stem font-. A natural spring where water comes out of the ground, not a built ornamental fountain, and from there the source of anything at all: fons mali, "the root of the trouble", and the tag fons et origo.
Roman springs had their own deities and their own festival, the Fontinalia, so a fons could be a shrine as much as a water supply. Christian Latin narrowed the word again: fons standing alone in this corpus very often means the baptismal font, which is the sense English kept in a church context while keeping fountain for the ornamental one. French fontaine and Italian fonte come from the same word.
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fons: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "fons" (spring, fountain; source, origin): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 4, lesson 1: fons, cura, reliquus and 6 more words.