Founder

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aÊŠndÉ™(ɹ)

From Old French fondeur, from Latin fundātor.

Full definition of founder

Noun

1. One who founds, establishes, and erects; one who lays a foundation; an author; one from whom something originates; one who endows.
2. (genetics) Someone for whose parents one has no data.

From Middle French fondeur, from Latin fundo ("pour, melt, cast")

Noun

1. The iron worker in charge of the blast furnace and the smelting operation.
• 1957, H.R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry, p. 161.The term 'founder' was applied in the British iron industry long afterwards to the ironworker in charge of the blast furnace and the smelting operation.
2. One who casts metals in various forms; a caster.a founder of cannon, bells, hardware, or printing types

From Middle French fondrer ("send to the bottom"), from Latin fundus ("bottom")

Verb

1. (intransitive) Of a ship, to fill with water and sink.
• 1719, Daniel Defoe, We were not much more than a quarter of an hour out of our ship but we saw her sink, and then I understood for the first time what was meant by a ship foundering in the sea.
2. (intransitive) To fall; to stumble and go lame, as a horse.
3. (transitive) To disable or lame (a horse) by causing internal inflammation and soreness in the feet or limbs.
4. (intransitive) To fail; to miscarry.
• ShakespeareAll his tricks founder.

Usage notes

Frequently confused with flounder. Both may be applied to the same situation, the difference is the severity of the action: floundering (struggling to maintain position) comes first, followed by foundering (losing it by falling, sinking or failing).

Anagrams

• refound