Etymology Map
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Source

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a place or person from which something comes

Where does the word "source" come from? It comes from Latin surgere, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
surgere
Latin · ancient
"to rise"
'sub-', from below, plus 'regere', to direct
2
Stage 2 of 3
sourse
Old French · medieval
"spring of water"
the rising point of a river
3
Stage 3 of 3
source
English · 1300s
"spring"
the sense 'origin of information' came in the 1700s
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Read the full story

Source’s story begins in Latin: surgere meant “to rise.” 'sub-', from below, plus 'regere', to direct. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as sourse. The rising point of a river. It reached English by 1300s as source. The sense 'origin of information' came in the 1700s. Today, source means a place or person from which something comes.