wellspring

English

Etymology

From Middle English wellespring, from Old English wiellspring, wiellġespring (“spring, fount, fountain”), corresponding to well +‎ spring. More at well, spring.

Pronunciation

Noun

wellspring (plural wellsprings)

  1. The source of water for a stream, spring or well; a fountainhead; a wellhead.
  2. (figurative) A perennial source of anything; a fountainhead of supply or emanation; resource.
    • 2020 September 28, Alex McLevy, “Marilynne Robinson finds transcendence in the stunning, soul-searching Jack”, in The A.V. Club‎[1], archived from the original on 1 October 2020:
      We’re so often taught to simply believe in ourselves—to trust our instincts—that to see a narrative in which second-guessing oneself and refusing one’s deepest impulses is a potential wellspring of charity and good is, in itself, noteworthy.
    • 2025 April 27, Susannah Clapp, “Gary Oldman is extraordinary in Krapp’s Last Tape”, in The Observer‎[2]:
      Krapp’s Last Tape has been acted by prisoners in San Quentin and made into a chamber opera. It goes to the wellspring of an actor. Well, most of the time: when Albert Finney played the part, Beckett went to sleep in rehearsals.
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