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Source vs Means - What's the difference?

source | means |

As nouns the difference between source and means

is that source is the person, place or thing from which something (information, goods, etc) comes or is acquired while means is .

As verbs the difference between source and means

is that source is (chiefly|us) to obtain or procure: while means is (mean).

source

English

(wikipedia source)

Noun

(en noun)
  • The person, place or thing from which something (information, goods, etc.) comes or is acquired.
  • * {{quote-book, year=2006, author=(Edwin Black)
  • , title=Internal Combustion, chapter=2 citation , passage=More than a mere source of Promethean sustenance to thwart the cold and cook one's meat, wood was quite simply mankind's first industrial and manufacturing fuel.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The rise of smart beta , passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}
  • Spring; fountainhead; wellhead; any collection of water on or under the surface of the ground in which a stream originates.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-16, author= John Vidal
  • , volume=189, issue=10, page=8, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas , passage=Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources . Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.}}
  • A reporter's informant.
  • (computing) Source code.
  • (electronics) The name of one terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
  • Synonyms

    * (l)

    Derived terms

    * sourceless * source code * primary source * secondary source * tertiary source

    See also

    * target

    Verb

  • (chiefly, US) To obtain or procure:
  • To find information about (a quotation)'s source (from which it comes): to find a citation for.
  • Derived terms

    * (mainly US) sourcing * (mainly US) insourcing * (mainly US) outsourcing

    Anagrams

    * ----

    means

    English

    (wikipedia means)

    Noun

    (head)
  • An instrument or condition for attaining a purpose.
  • A car is a means of transport .
  • *
  • *
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author= Ed Pilkington
  • , volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= ‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told , passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}
  • Resources; riches.
  • He was living beyond his means .
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  • Usage notes

    Frequently contrasted with , as in “a means to an end”. Similar contrast is (process) vs. (product).

    Synonyms

    * (l)

    Verb

    (head)
  • (mean)
  • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * * * * * ----