font

Definition

A receptacle in a church for holy water, especially one used in baptism.

Etymology

From Old English font, an early borrowing from Latin fōns, fontis (“fountain”).

Example Sentences

• "She dipped her fingers in the font and crossed herself."
• "Blessed be God, that, at the font, /⁠ My sponsors bound me to the call / Of Christ in England to confront / The world, the flesh, the fiend and all."
• "In the Apostolic Age, as in Jewish times (John, iii, 23), baptism was administered without special fonts, at the seaside or in streams or pools of water (Acts, viii, 38); […]"