Founding noun The art of smelting and casting metals.

Foundling noun [ Middle English foundling , fundling ; finden to find + - ling ; confer fündling , findling . See Find , transitive verb , and -ling .] A deserted or exposed infant; a child found without a parent or owner.

Foundling hospital , a hospital for foundlings.

Foundress noun A female founder; a woman who founds or establishes, or who endows with a fund.

Foundry noun ; plural Foundries . [ See Foundery .]
1. The act, process, or art of casting metals.

2. The buildings and works for casting metals.

Foundry ladle , a vessel for holding molten metal and conveying it from cupola to the molds.

Fount noun [ See Font .] (Print.) A font.

Fount noun [ Old French font , funt , from Latin fons , fontis , a fountain; of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to fundere to pour, English found to cast. Confer Font .] A fountain.

Fountain (foun"tĭn) noun [ French fontaine , Late Latin fontana , from Latin fons , fontis . See 2d Fount .]
1. A spring of water issuing from the earth.

2. An artificially produced jet or stream of water; also, the structure or works in which such a jet or stream rises or flows; a basin built and constantly supplied with pure water for drinking and other useful purposes, or for ornament.

3. A reservoir or chamber to contain a liquid which can be conducted or drawn off as needed for use; as, the ink fountain in a printing press, etc.

4. The source from which anything proceeds, or from which anything is supplied continuously; origin; source.

Judea, the fountain of the gospel.

Fuller.

Author of all being,
Fountain of light, thyself invisible.

Milton.

Air fountain . See under Air . -- Fountain heead , primary source; original; first principle. Young. -- Fountain inkstand , an inkstand having a continual supply of ink, as from elevated reservoir. -- Fountain lamp , a lamp fed with oil from an elevated reservoir. -- Fountain pen , a pen with a reservoir in the handle which furnishes a supply of ink. -- Fountain pump . (a) A structure for a fountain, having the form of a pump. (b) A portable garden pump which throws a jet, for watering plants, etc. -- Fountain shell (Zoology) , the large West Indian conch shell ( Strombus gigas ). -- Fountain of youth , a mythical fountain whose waters were fabled to have the property of renewing youth.

Fountainless adjective Having no fountain; destitute of springs or sources of water.

Barren desert, fountainless and dry.

Milton.

Fountful adjective Full of fountains. Pope.

Four (fōr) adjective [ Middle English four , fower , feower , Anglo-Saxon feówer ; akin to Old Saxon fiwar , D. & German vier , Old High German fior , Icelandic fjōrir , Swedish fyra , Danish fire , Goth. fidwōr , Russian chetuire , chetvero , W. pedwar , Latin quatuor , Greek te`ttares , te`ssares , pi`syres , Sanskrit catur . √302. Confer Farthing , Firkin , Forty , Cater four, Quater-cousin , Quatuor , Quire of paper, tetrarch .] One more than three; twice two.

Four noun
1. The sum of four units; four units or objects.

2. A symbol representing four units, as 4 or iv.

3. Four things of the same kind, esp. four horses; as, a chariot and four .

All fours . See All fours , in the Vocabulary.

Four-cornered adjective Having four corners or angles.

Four-cycle noun (Thermodynamics) A four-stroke cycle, as the Otto cycle, for an internal- combustion engine. -- Four"-cy`cle , adjective

Four-in-hand adjective Consisting of four horses controlled by one person; as, a four-in-hand team; drawn by four horses driven by one person; as, a four-in- hand coach. -- noun A team of four horses driven by one person; also, a vehicle drawn by such a team.

As quaint a four-in-hand
As you shall see.

Tennyson.

Four-o'clock noun
1. (Botany) A plant of the genus Mirabilis . There are about half a dozen species, natives of the warmer parts of America. The common four-o'clock is M. Jalapa . Its flowers are white, yellow, and red, and open toward sunset, or earlier in cloudy weather; hence the name. It is also called marvel of Peru , and afternoon lady .

2. (Zoology) The friar bird; -- so called from its cry, which resembles these words.

Four-poster noun A large bedstead with tall posts at the corners to support curtains. [ Colloq.]

Four-way adjective Allowing passage in either of four directions; as, a four-way cock, or valve. Francis.

Four-way cock , a cock connected with four pipes or ports, and having two or more passages in the plug, by which the adjacent pipes or ports may be made to communicate; formerly used as a valve in the steam engine, and now for various other purposes. In the illustration, a leads to the upper end of a steam engine cylinder, and b to the lower end; c is the steam pipe, and d the exhaust pipe.

Four-wheeled adjective Having four wheels.

Four-wheeler noun A vehicle having four wheels. [ Colloq.]

Fourb, Fourbe noun [ French] A tricky fellow; a cheat. [ Obsolete] Evelyn. Denham.

Fourché (fōr`sha") adjective [ French See Fork .] (Her.) Having the ends forked or branched, and the ends of the branches terminating abruptly as if cut off; -- said of an ordinary, especially of a cross.

Fourchette (fōr`shĕt") noun [ French, dim. of fourche . See Fork .]
1. A table fork.

2. (Anat.) (a) A small fold of membrane, connecting the labia in the posterior part of the vulva. (b) The wishbone or furculum of birds. (c) The frog of the hoof of the horse and allied animals.

3. (Surg.) An instrument used to raise and support the tongue during the cutting of the frænum.

4. (Glove Making) The forked piece between two adjacent fingers, to which the front and back portions are sewed. Knight.

Fourchette noun (Card Playing) The combination of the card immediately above and the one immediately below a given card.

Fourdrinier noun A machine used in making paper; -- so named from an early inventor of improvements in this class of machinery.

Fourfold adjective & adverb [ Anglo-Saxon feówerfeold .] Four times; quadruple; as, a fourfold division.

He shall restore the lamb fourfold .

2 Sam. xii. 6.

Fourfold noun Four times as many or as much.

Fourfold transitive verb To make four times as much or as many, as an assessment; to quadruple.

Fourfooted adjective Having four feet; quadruped; as, fourfooted beasts.

Fourgon noun [ French] (Mil.) (a) An ammunition wagon. (b) A French baggage wagon.

Fourhanded adjective
1. Having four hands; quadrumanous. Goldsmith.

2. Requiring four "hands" or players; as, a fourhanded game at cards.

Fourierism noun The coöperative socialistic system of Charles Fourier , a Frenchman, who recommended the reorganization of society into small communities, living in common.

Fourierist, Fourierite noun One who adopts the views of Fourier.

Fourling noun
1. One of four children born at the same time.

2. (Crystallog.) A compound or twin crystal consisting of four individuals.

Fourneau noun [ French] (Mil.) The chamber of a mine in which the powder is placed.

Fourpence noun
1. A British silver coin, worth four pence; a groat.

2. A name formerly given in New England to the Spanish half real, a silver coin worth six and a quarter cents.

Fourrier noun [ French, from Old French forre . See Forage , noun ] A harbinger. [ Obsolete]

Fourscore adjective [ Four + core , noun ] Four times twenty; eighty.

Fourscore noun The product of four times twenty; eighty units or objects.

Foursome adjective [ Four + 2d -some .] Consisting of four; requiring four participants. [ Scot. or Golf]

Foursome noun (Golf) A game between four players, with two on each side and each side playing but one ball, the partners striking alternately. It is called a mixed foursome when each side consists of a man and a woman.

Foursquare adjective Having four sides and four equal angles. Sir W. Raleigh.

Fourteen adjective [ Middle English fourtene , feowertene , Anglo-Saxon feówertȳne , feówertēne . See Four , and Ten , and confer Forty .] Four and ten more; twice seven.

Fourteen noun
1. The sum of ten and four; forteen units or objects.

2. A symbol representing fourteen, as 14 or xiv.

Fourteenth adjective [ Confer Middle English fourtende , fourtethe , Anglo-Saxon feówerteoða .]
1. Next in order after the thirteenth; as, the fourteenth day of the month.

2. Making or constituting one of fourteen equal parts into which anything may be divided.

Fourteenth noun
1. One of fourteen equal parts into which one whole may be divided; the quotient of a unit divided by fourteen; one next after the thirteenth.

2. (Mus.) The octave of the seventh.

Fourth adjective [ Middle English fourthe , ferthe , feorthe , Anglo-Saxon feórða , from feówer four.]
1. Next in order after the third; the ordinal of four.

2. Forming one of four equal parts into which anything may be divided.

Fourth noun
1. One of four equal parts into which one whole may be divided; the quotient of a unit divided by four; one coming next in order after the third.

2. (Mus.) The interval of two tones and a semitone, embracing four diatonic degrees of the scale; the subdominant of any key.

The Fourth , specifically, in the United States, the fourth day of July, the anniversary of the declaration of American independence; as, to celebrate the Fourth .

Fourthly adverb In the fourth place.

Foussa noun [ Natibe name.] (Zoology) A viverrine animal of Madagascar ( Cryptoprocta ferox ). It resembles a cat in size and form, and has retractile claws.

Fouter noun [ French foutre to lecher, Latin futuere . Confer Fouty .] A despicable fellow. [ Prov. Eng.] Brockett.