source in WordNet English dictionary

1. someone who originates or causes or initiates something
   "he was the generator of several complaints"
   generator  source  author 
   
2. the place where something begins, where it springs into being
   "the Italian beginning of the Renaissance"; "Jupiter was the origin of the radiation"; "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River"; "communism's Russian root"
   beginning  origin  root  rootage  source 
   
3. anything that provides inspiration for later work
   source  seed  germ 
   
4. a person who supplies information
   informant  source 
   
5. a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
   "he carried an armful of references back to his desk"; "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation"
   reference  source 
   
6. anything (a person or animal or plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies
   "an infectious agent depends on a reservoir for its survival"
   reservoir  source 
   
7. a facility where something is available
   source 
   
8. a document (or organization) from which information is obtained
   "the reporter had two sources for the story"
   source 
   
9. (technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system
   "a heat source"; "a source of carbon dioxide"
   source 
   

1. specify the origin of
   "The writer carefully sourced her report"
   source 
   
2. get (a product) from another country or business
   "She sourced a supply of carpet"; "They are sourcing from smaller companies"
   source