source

[sawrs, sohrs] /sɔrs, soʊrs/
noun
1.
any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin:
Which foods are sources of calcium?
2.
the beginning or place of origin of a stream or river.
3.
a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information.
4.
the person or business making interest or dividend payments.
5.
a manufacturer or supplier.
6.
Archaic. a natural spring or fountain.
verb (used with object), sourced, sourcing.
7.
to give or trace the source for:
The research paper was not accurately sourced. The statement was sourced to the secretary of state.
8.
to find or acquire a source, especially a supplier, for:
Some of the components are now sourced in Hong Kong.
verb (used without object), sourced, sourcing.
9.
to contract a manufacturer or supplier:
Many large companies are now sourcing overseas.
10.
to seek information about or consider possible options, available personnel, or the like:
a job recruiter who was merely sourcing.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English sours (noun) < Old French sors (masculine), sourse, source (feminine), noun use of past participle of sourdre < Latin surgere to spring up or forth
Related forms
sourceful, adjective
sourcefulness, noun
sourceless, adjective
Can be confused
sauce, source.
Synonyms
1. supplier, originator. 3. authority, reference.
Examples from the web for sources
  • Probably, however, a brief statement of the contents and sources of the five books will be more to the purpose.
  • It also provides access to great reference sources.
  • For this story, fortunately, information is available from a number of continental sources.
  • It is a danger that lurks and hides in the sources and fountains of power in every state.
  • But the stream of poetry is fed by many sources, and it takes color and volume according to the channels through which it flows.
  • These works generally began with disowning and discrediting the sources from which in reality they drew their sole information.
  • We must work faster to change consumer behavior and develop alternative sources of power.
  • He was to write four shows, all based on other sources.
  • Currently, the cost of electricity from silicon solar cells is about ten times that of other energy sources.
  • It was a place for tech hobbyists to gather and share tips on supply sources and exchange programming information.
British Dictionary definitions for sources

source

/sɔːs/
noun
1.
the point or place from which something originates
2.
  1. a spring that forms the starting point of a stream; headspring
  2. the area where the headwaters of a river rise: the source of the Nile
3.
a person, group, etc, that creates, issues, or originates something: the source of a complaint
4.
  1. any person, book, organization, etc, from which information, evidence, etc, is obtained
  2. (as modifier): source material
5.
anything, such as a story or work of art, that provides a model or inspiration for a later work
6.
(electronics) the electrode region in a field-effect transistor from which majority carriers flow into the interelectrode conductivity channel
7.
at source, at the point of origin
verb
8.
to determine the source of a news report or story
9.
(transitive) foll by from. to originate from
10.
(transitive) to establish an originator or source of (a product, piece of information, etc)
Word Origin
C14: from Old French sors, from sourdre to spring forth, from Latin surgere to rise
Word Origin and History for sources

source

n.

mid-14c., "support, base," from Old French sourse "a rising, beginning, fountainhead of a river or stream" (12c.), fem. noun taken from past participle of sourdre "to rise, spring up," from Latin surgere "to rise" (see surge (n.)). Meaning "a first cause" is from late 14c., as is that of "fountain-head of a river." Meaning "written work (later also a person) supplying information or evidence" is from 1788.

v.

"obtain from a specified source," 1972, from source (n.). Related: Sourced; sourcing.