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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle ...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Fountain_2.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from Anglo-French funtaine, fontaine, from Late Latin fontana, from [[Latin]], feminine of fontanus of a spring, from font-, fons
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_century 14th Century]
==Definitions==
*1: the [[source]] from which something [[proceeds]] or is supplied
*2: a spring of [[water]] issuing from the [[earth]]
*3: an artificially produced jet of water; also : the [[structure]] from which it rises
*4: a reservoir containing a [[liquid]] that can be drawn off as needed
==Description==
A '''fountain''' (from the [[Latin]] "fons" or "fontis", a [[source]] or spring) is a piece of [[architecture]] which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or [[dramatic]] [[effect]].
Fountains were originally purely [[functional]], connected to springs or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueducts aqueducts] and used to provide drinking [[water]] and water for bathing and washing to the residents of [[cities]], towns and villages. Until the late 19th century most fountains operated by [[gravity]], and needed a source of water higher than the fountain, such as a reservoir or aqueduct, to make the water [[flow]] or jet into the [[air]].
In addition to providing drinking [[water]], fountains were used for decoration and to celebrate their builders. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain#Ancient_Roman_fountains Roman fountains] were decorated with bronze or stone masks of animals or [[heroes]]. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages Middle Ages], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors Moorish] and Muslim garden [[designers]] used fountains to create miniature versions of the [[gardens]] of [[paradise]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV King Louis XIV] of France used fountains in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_of_Versailles Gardens of Versailles] to [[illustrate]] his [[power]] over [[nature]]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque baroque] decorative fountains of [[Rome]] in the 17th and 18th centuries marked the arrival point of restored Roman aqueducts and [[glorified]] the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popes Popes] who built them.
By the end of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 19th century], as indoor plumbing became the main [[source]] of drinking water, [[urban]] fountains became purely decorative. Mechanical pumps replaced [[gravity]] and allowed fountains to recycle [[water]] and to force it high into the [[air]]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_d%27Eau Jet d'Eau] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Geneva Lake Geneva], built in 1951, shoots water 140 meters in the air. The highest such fountain in the world is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Fahd%27s_Fountain King Fahd's Fountain] in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which spouts water 260 meters (853 feet) above the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea Red Sea].
Fountains are used today to decorate [[city]] [[parks]] and squares; to honor [[individuals]] or [[events]]; for recreation and for [[entertainment]]. A Splash pad or spray pool allows city residents to enter, get wet and cool off in [[summer]]. The musical fountain combines moving jets of [[water]], colored [[lights]] and recorded [[music]], controlled by a computer, for [[dramatic]] [[effects]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_fountains Drinking fountains] provide clean drinking water in public buildings, [[parks]] and [[public]] spaces.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain]
[[Category: Architecture]]
[[Category: General Reference]]
==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English], from Anglo-French funtaine, fontaine, from Late Latin fontana, from [[Latin]], feminine of fontanus of a spring, from font-, fons
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_century 14th Century]
==Definitions==
*1: the [[source]] from which something [[proceeds]] or is supplied
*2: a spring of [[water]] issuing from the [[earth]]
*3: an artificially produced jet of water; also : the [[structure]] from which it rises
*4: a reservoir containing a [[liquid]] that can be drawn off as needed
==Description==
A '''fountain''' (from the [[Latin]] "fons" or "fontis", a [[source]] or spring) is a piece of [[architecture]] which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or [[dramatic]] [[effect]].
Fountains were originally purely [[functional]], connected to springs or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueducts aqueducts] and used to provide drinking [[water]] and water for bathing and washing to the residents of [[cities]], towns and villages. Until the late 19th century most fountains operated by [[gravity]], and needed a source of water higher than the fountain, such as a reservoir or aqueduct, to make the water [[flow]] or jet into the [[air]].
In addition to providing drinking [[water]], fountains were used for decoration and to celebrate their builders. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain#Ancient_Roman_fountains Roman fountains] were decorated with bronze or stone masks of animals or [[heroes]]. In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages Middle Ages], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors Moorish] and Muslim garden [[designers]] used fountains to create miniature versions of the [[gardens]] of [[paradise]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV King Louis XIV] of France used fountains in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_of_Versailles Gardens of Versailles] to [[illustrate]] his [[power]] over [[nature]]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque baroque] decorative fountains of [[Rome]] in the 17th and 18th centuries marked the arrival point of restored Roman aqueducts and [[glorified]] the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popes Popes] who built them.
By the end of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 19th century], as indoor plumbing became the main [[source]] of drinking water, [[urban]] fountains became purely decorative. Mechanical pumps replaced [[gravity]] and allowed fountains to recycle [[water]] and to force it high into the [[air]]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_d%27Eau Jet d'Eau] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Geneva Lake Geneva], built in 1951, shoots water 140 meters in the air. The highest such fountain in the world is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Fahd%27s_Fountain King Fahd's Fountain] in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which spouts water 260 meters (853 feet) above the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea Red Sea].
Fountains are used today to decorate [[city]] [[parks]] and squares; to honor [[individuals]] or [[events]]; for recreation and for [[entertainment]]. A Splash pad or spray pool allows city residents to enter, get wet and cool off in [[summer]]. The musical fountain combines moving jets of [[water]], colored [[lights]] and recorded [[music]], controlled by a computer, for [[dramatic]] [[effects]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_fountains Drinking fountains] provide clean drinking water in public buildings, [[parks]] and [[public]] spaces.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain]
[[Category: Architecture]]
[[Category: General Reference]]