source meaning and definition

SOURCE noun

Definition of source (noun)

1. the place where something begins, where it springs into being
   • "the Italian beginning of the Renaissance"; "Jupiter was the origin of the radiation"; "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River"; "communism's Russian root"
   • synonyms: beginning, origin, root, rootage
2. a document (or organization) from which information is obtained
   • "the reporter had two sources for the story"
3. anything that provides inspiration for later work
   • synonyms: germ, seed
4. a facility where something is available
5. a person who supplies information
   • synonyms: informant
6. someone who originates or causes or initiates something
   • "he was the generator of several complaints"
   • synonyms: author, generator
7. (technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system
   • "a heat source"; "a source of carbon dioxide"
   • antonym: sink
8. anything (a person or animal or plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies
   • "an infectious agent depends on a reservoir for its survival"
   • synonyms: reservoir
9. a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
   • "he carried an armful of references back to his desk"; "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation"
   • synonyms: reference

SOURCE verb

Definition of source (verb)

1. get (a product) from another country or business
   • "She sourced a supply of carpet"; "They are sourcing from smaller companies"
2. specify the origin of
   • "The writer carefully sourced her report"