What is a source? This question interests many, because the word has not one, but several meanings. Let's analyze the meaning of the definition, give synonyms and examples.
Meaning of the word
When it comes to even something as small as a word with one meaning, you should consult a dictionary, and even more so if the object of attention is a definition that has many meanings.
"Source" is not the most ambiguous word in the world. Nevertheless, the geologist and the historian may not understand each other. But in order for the conversation to become substantive, let's review the existing meanings. There are only three of them:
- Water jet coming to the surface from underground. “There is a source of spring water in that place.”
- That which is the beginning of something, that from which something comes. “He realized that the source of all the failures was his marriage to Masha.”
- Written monument, a document that serves as the basis for scientific research. “Ivan Ivanovich used only English-language sources in the course of his research.”
Why the question arises: what is a source? Because depending on the contextthe meaning is different. The historian sees a book in the source, and the geologist sees a stream gushing out of the ground. The second meaning is common, it is difficult to find an example for it from any particular science.
Synonyms
As always, to consolidate the success, consider the linguistic analogues of the word. We, as the reader remembers, are interested in the word "source". Its synonyms follow:
- key;
- spring;
- geyser;
- base;
- reason;
- mother;
- root;
- material;
- resource;
- link.
It is easy to see that there is a certain system in the given synonyms: the first three words refer to geology and water. The second group is commonly used substitutions and philosophical and poetic ones (this is especially true for “mother” and “root”, although the metaphorical nature of these words has already been rather lost in everyday speech). The remaining synonyms are more related to scientific activity, although they are familiar to active Internet users.
I must say that we distribute synonyms by headings for ease of remembering, of course, “key”, “spring”, “geyser” are not harsh geological terms, but rather a mnemonic technique to sort information. The reader must have understood that the word “source” and its synonyms are a delicate matter. So let's dedicate some more space and time to them.
A collection of sources is a bibliography
Sometimes they also say "reference list". What is a source in this sense? This is a book, an article, even an Internet resource. Sometimessuch a collection is called a list of sources.
Who will benefit from this information? Almost everyone. Given the pace of development, the ability to work with sources will soon come in handy at school, and maybe this is already being practiced somewhere. Who knows, times are changing and the learning process is getting more difficult.
But in general, a person is faced with the search and the need for references in student life, which is not only full of fun, but also forces a person to do science, whether he wants to or not.
In the process of learning, everyone understands what a source is, as well as what a year of publication and imprint in general. Staying at a university as a student disciplines, although there are students who simply serve their term and go out into a great life, but we will not talk about them. Focus only on the best.
Difficulty establishing meaning
If the reader asks: "What about the definition of the word "source"?" - which, frankly, depends on what one or another speaker puts into this concept. Do you mean a natural spring or a book, or a reason. All this affects the choice of words.
Sometimes the semantic analogue of the desired definition are words that in their usual sense are not synonymous with it, for example, “root” or “mother”. But in a specific context, they may well replace the meaning of the word "source". Compare: "the root of all evil" or "the source of all evil." The meaning is preserved, but the poetry of the phrase is gone forever.
Therefore, definitionsthe object of study depends entirely on the context. In any case, the reader has everything to form his own understanding of the essence of the word. And above all, he has an explanatory dictionary as a starting point for thinking.
It is sometimes useful to think about the source of being
Man is designed in such a way that he will forever look for the meaning of his existence and the root cause of everything. For example, it was with the question of the source of the world that philosophy began long ago. A person is inquisitive and cannot be satisfied only with the fact that he lives and breathes. He needs to know why things happen the way they do.
Religion is primitive and exists precisely because a person cannot explain natural phenomena: storms, hurricanes. Therefore, there are gods, each "in charge" of his own department of being. The most interesting thing is that science is not able to abolish religion completely. There are still questions about life and death that science is not yet able to solve, but humanity is waiting for the last frontier to be taken. And then the word "source" will finally be revealed to us. It remains only to believe in it.
