A source is the place something comes from or begins. It can be a physical starting point, like a river’s source, or an information starting point, like a book or person you get facts from.
From Old French *sourse* “a rising, a spring,” from Latin *surgere* “to rise.” It originally referred to water springing up from the ground.
The idea of a source began with water bursting out of the earth; now we talk about “sources” of ideas, rumors, or energy. Whenever you ask “Where did this really start?” you’re doing source-hunting.
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