The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - sourcen.

1) fountain-head, well-spring, origin, provenance, provenience, inception, start, outset, beginning, root(s) , commencement, rise: We set out to find the source of the Blue Nile. The mineral bauxite is the source of aluminium. 2) originator, author, creator, begetter: Who is credited as the source of this quotation? 3 authority, documentation; informant, Colloq horse's mouth: To verify the information, go to the source.