1. (

• beginning ,
• origin ,
• root ,
• rootage ,
• source

) the place where something begins, where it springs into being; "the Italian beginning of the Renaissance"; "Jupiter was the origin of the radiation"; "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River"; "communism's Russian root" ;

2. (

• source

) a document (or organization) from which information is obtained; "the reporter had two sources for the story" ;

3. (

• source ,
• seed ,
• germ

) anything that provides inspiration for later work ;

4. (

• source

) a facility where something is available ;

5. (

• informant ,
• source ,

) a person who supplies information ;

6. (

• generator ,
• source ,
• author ,

) someone who originates or causes or initiates something; "he was the generator of several complaints" ;

7. (

• source

) (technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system; "a heat source"; "a source of carbon dioxide" ;

8. (

• reservoir ,
• source

) anything (a person or animal or plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies; "an infectious agent depends on a reservoir for its survival" ;

9. (

• reference ,
• source ,

) a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to; "he carried an armful of references back to his desk"; "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation" ;

1. (

• source

) get (a product) from another country or business; "She sourced a supply of carpet"; "They are sourcing from smaller companies" ;

2. (

• source

) specify the origin of; "The writer carefully sourced her report" ;