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source

n. · v.
US //ˈsɔɹs// UK //sˈɔːs// source
  1. 1 origin of something (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the place, person, or thing that something comes from.

    the point of origin or provenance from which something is obtained or initiated.

    Example

    The sun is our primary source of light and heat.

    Example

    The investigation aimed to identify the primary source of the contamination that had affected the local water supply for several months.
  2. 2 information or research (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Academic

    a book, person, or document that provides information.

    a document, person, or publication that provides information or evidence for research or news reporting.

    Example

    You must list every source you used at the end of your essay.

    Example

    The journalist refused to name her source, citing a professional obligation to protect the whistleblower's identity from public exposure.
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  1. 3 start of a river (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the place where a river or stream begins.

    the fountainhead or spring from which a stream or river originates.

    Example

    The explorers spent weeks searching for the source of the Nile.

    Example

    High in the mountains, the source of the river is nothing more than a small, bubbling spring hidden beneath the rocks.
    • headwaters
    • wellspring
  2. 4 computing/code (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

    the original instructions written by a programmer.

    the human-readable instructions written by a programmer before being compiled into machine code.

    Example

    The developer shared the source on a public website for others to use.

    Example

    The company decided to release the software's source under an open-license agreement to encourage community-driven improvements and security audits.
    • source code
  3. 5 electronics terminal (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    one of the three parts of a special type of transistor.

    the terminal of a field-effect transistor (FET) through which the majority carriers enter the channel.

    Example

    The technician checked the voltage at the source of the transistor.

    Example

    In a typical n-channel MOSFET configuration, the source is often connected to the circuit ground to provide a reference potential.
  4. 6 to obtain goods (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to find out where to get something and buy it from there.

    to find or acquire something from a particular supplier or origin, especially in a business context.

    Example

    The restaurant tries to source all its vegetables from local farms.

    Example

    The manufacturer struggled to source high-grade lithium due to recent disruptions in the global supply chain.
  5. 7 to provide references (v.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Formal

    to show where information or a quote came from.

    to provide or find a citation for a piece of information or a quotation.

    Example

    The article was well-written but it was not properly sourced.

    Example

    Academic integrity requires that every claim in the dissertation be meticulously sourced to avoid any suspicion of plagiarism.
Origin

From Middle English sours, from Old French sorse (“rise, beginning, spring, source”), from sors, past participle of sordre, sourdre, from Latin surgō (“to rise”), which is composed of sub- (“up from below”) + regō (“lead, rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root h₃reǵ-. Doublet of surge.

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