font
font Lexical Profile
font Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A complete assortment of type or digital characters of a unified design, size, and style used in printing and word processing.
"The graphic designer selected a clean, legible font for the body text of the annual report."
A receptacle or basin in a church, typically carved from stone, that holds consecrated water for baptism.
"Family members gathered around the ancient stone font at the entrance of the parish church for the christening."
An abundant source, origin, or reservoir of something desirable, such as knowledge or wisdom.
"Our retired librarian remains a remarkable font of local historical knowledge."
Word Nuance & Usage
In traditional typography, a 'typeface' refers to the overall visual design (such as Helvetica or Times New Roman), whereas a 'font' refers to a specific size, weight, and style of that design (such as 12-point bold Helvetica), though the two terms are widely used interchangeably in modern digital computing.
• Rhymes for font
Word Origin & Etymology
The word represents two distinct etymological lineages: the sense meaning a basin or source comes via Old English from Latin 'fons' ('fountain' or 'spring'), whereas the typographic sense comes from Middle French 'fonte' ('a casting or melting'), derived from the verb 'fondre' ('to melt'), referring to the casting of metal type.