/ sɔːs; NAmE sɔːrs/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a place, person or thing that you get sth from :
renewable energy sources
Your local library will be a useful source of information.
What is their main source of income?
2.
[ usually pl. ] a person, book or document that provides information, especially for study, a piece of written work or news :
He refused to name his sources.
Government sources indicated yesterday that cuts may have to be made.
source material
Historians use a wide range of primary and secondary sources for their research.
3.
a person or thing that causes sth, especially a problem :
a source of violence
a source of confusion
4.
the place where a river or stream starts :
the source of the Nile
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IDIOMS
- at source
■ verb
[ vn ] [ often passive ] source sth (from ... ) ( business ) to get sth from a particular place :
We source all the meat sold in our stores from British farms.
—see also outsource
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French sours(e) , past participle of sourdre to rise, from Latin surgere .