Make Your Point: WELLSPRING

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pronounce WELLSPRING:

WELL spring

connect this word to others:

A wellspring is a source, a root, an origin, a f__n____head: the main source of something that seems to flow out continuously.

To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.

definition:

(Source)

Take the word "well" in the sense of "a place where water comes out of the earth," and add "spring" in the sense of "a flow," and you get "wellspring," a word we've used in English since English arose!

A wellspring is a place where a stream or river pops up from the ground. Pictured above is the wellspring of the Mississippi River, which the Indigo Girls describe like this:

"Well the Mississippi's mighty,
But it starts in Minnesota
At a place that you could walk across
In five steps down."

Looks more like twenty steps to me, but you get the idea. A figurative wellspring is something that's powerful, abundant, and always flowing.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "A child is a wellspring of happiness."

Other forms:

The plural is "wellsprings," but we hardly ever use it.

how to use it:

Pick the lovely, poetic, semi-common word "wellspring" when you want to describe a fresh, rich, constant source of ideas, content, material, or productivity. The metaphor is as wholesome and natural as you can get, since a wellspring is where clean water arises from the earth.

You could talk about a wellspring of or for things: "a wellspring of wealth," "a wellspring of emotions," "a wellspring of creativity;" "a wellspring for joy," "a wellspring for inventions," "a wellspring for new music."

If you prefer your metaphors less watery, you could pick a windy one like "inspiration" or "afflatus," or a grainy one like "fodder."

examples:

"[John le Carré's] time working at MI5 and MI6 may have been the wellspring of his fiction but he chose to closely guard the truth."
— Gordon Corera, BBC, 14 December 2020

"For thousands of years Mesoamerica was a wellspring of cultural innovation and growth."
— Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, 2005

has this page helped you understand "wellspring"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

study it:

Explain the meaning of "wellspring" without saying "origin" or "source."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) taps into a wellspring of (something)."

Example 1: "My daughter and I read a short nonfiction article together each morning at breakfast, which lets us tap into a wellspring of vocabulary, culture, worldly knowledge, and, her favorite, pictures of adorable animals."

Example 2: "Each time a player taps on one of these fleeting in-game ads—and wins some virtual loot for doing so—a podcast episode begins downloading on their device... The practice allows networks to amass downloads quickly by tapping into a wellspring of hyperactive video-game users."
— Ashley Carman, Time, 27 September 2022

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Alliterate a Little; It'll Lift It."

I'll give you a phrase that doesn't alliterate, and you'll make it alliterate by changing one or both words—while preserving, as best you can, the meaning of the original.

For example: A car that demands too much fuel is a "gas guzzler." But what alliterative term could you invent for a dishwasher that demands too much detergent?

You could call it a "soap slurper," or a "detergent devourer."

Try this one today...

A "beach bum" hangs around on the beach. But what alliterative term could you invent for a "ski bum," someone who hangs around on the slopes?

To see one possible answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of a WELLSPRING could be

A. a LUSH FOREST.
B. a BARREN DESERT.
C. a SOARING MOUNTAIN.

2. As a metaphor for abundance, a wellspring suggests _____.

A. fertility and birth, not overpopulation (like a sardine can would)
B. creativity or productivity, not destruction (like a volcano would)
C. consistency and uniformity, not variety (like a cornucopia would)

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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