headspring

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a spring or source from which a stream begins; a fountainhead

   The surveyors followed the river uphill until they reached its forested headspring.

2. 2
   noun

   figurative: an originating source, basis, or first cause

   The two traditions became the headspring of later ethical philosophy.

3. 3
   noun

   gymnastics: a forward handspring performed with the head briefly touching the floor or apparatus

   The gymnast linked a headspring directly into a forward roll.

A compound of head, in the sense 'upper or originating end,' + spring, 'a natural source of water.' The literal river-source sense produced the figurative use for an intellectual or causal origin. Gymnastics independently uses the compound for a springing movement over the head and hands.

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