font or fount?

Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
William Hupy
Senior Lexiterian
Posts: 611
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:14 pm

font or fount?

Postby William Hupy » Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:51 am

Which is correct and how are they different from typeface?
William A. Hupy

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Re: font or fount?

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:35 pm

Wondered that myself also. I do know typeface seldom squirts you as do water fonts or founts or fountains sometimes do.
pl

User avatar
gailr
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1945
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:40 am
Contact:

Re: font or fount?

Postby gailr » Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:51 pm

They spring from the same source:
fountain
fount
font (as in baptismal)

Font (as in typesetting) is derived from foundary as metal type was cast -- a step forward from hand-carving movable type from wood blocks! Etymonline expands on that here. Interesting that the two "fonts" are ultimately derived from separate words with similar meanings:
fount: Sanskrit dhanvati "flows, runs"
found: from root *gheu- "to pour"

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Re: font or fount?

Postby Philip Hudson » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:12 am

To expand on Gail's definitions and Perry's notion that type faces do not squirt themselves: Foundry fonts do "squirt themselves" on the line of type. This is in the form of molten lead being squirted on a line of type font dies. When the lead hardens it becomes a line of type. This carries over into electronically produced type. I believe we discussed in another thread that font and a face are not synonyms in typography. A font, in modern typography, is a set of characters in a specific design and size: e.g. Times New Roman 12 point. A type face is a design without stated size: e.g. Times New Roman. To a typographer, these are important distinctions. I have the honor of being one of the first creators of electronically produced type faces/fonts.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.


Return to “Good Word Suggestions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 35 guests