1. The place where something begins, where it springs into being
   "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River";
   - 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
   "The childhood memory became the source for her bestselling novel";
   - seed, germ
    
4. A facility where something is available
   "The library was an excellent source for research materials"
    
5. Someone who originates, causes or initiates something
   "he was the source of several complaints";
   - generator, author
    
6. A person who supplies information
   "The journalist protected the identity of her confidential source";
   - informant
    
7. (technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system
   "a heat source"; "a source of carbon dioxide"
    
8. Anything (a person, animal, plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies
   "an infectious agent depends on a source for its survival";
   - reservoir
    
9. A publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
   "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation";
   - reference

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

Sounds like:

Derived forms: sourced, sources, sourcing

Type of: action, activity, communicator, doc [informal], document, facility, inspiration, installation, maker, natural action, natural process, obtain, papers, point, publication, shaper, thing, written document

Antonym: sink

Encyclopedia: Source