fountain of youth

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   a legendary spring whose water was said to make old people young again.

   Grammar: Used with 'the': explorers searched for the fountain of youth.

   Patterns

   • search for the fountain of youth
   • find the fountain of youth

   Spanish legends told of a fountain of youth hidden somewhere on a distant island.

   In the story, the old king sends his sailors to look for the fountain of youth.

   Many explorers sailed west hoping to discover the fountain of youth.

2. 2phrasefixed phrasefigurative

   something that people believe will keep them young or make them look young again.

   Grammar: Often used figuratively with 'a' or 'the': exercise is his fountain of youth.

   Patterns

   • be someone's fountain of youth
   • the search for a fountain of youth
   • a modern fountain of youth

   For her, dancing every weekend is a kind of fountain of youth.

   The cosmetics industry keeps promising a fountain of youth in a small bottle.

   Doctors say there is no fountain of youth, but a healthy diet helps a lot.

Common combinations

search for the fountain of youth

Scientists are not really searching for the fountain of youth, but they do study aging.

the legendary fountain of youth

The legendary fountain of youth appears in tales from several countries.

a modern fountain of youth

Some people call the gym a modern fountain of youth.

find the fountain of youth

No one has ever found the fountain of youth, for obvious reasons.

Synonyms and how they differ

elixir of life

This is a magic drink said to give long life; it is about living longer, while the fountain of youth is about becoming young again.

fountain of eternal youth

A longer variant of the same idea, used in older translations and fantasy writing.

Word family

fountain noun

a structure that sends water into the air

youth noun

the period of being young, or young people as a group

youthful adjective

looking or seeming young

Commonly confused: fountain of youth or fountain?

Practice

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