source-n; 6 Senses

Sense Number 1: origin or beginning

Commentary: SOURCE[+origin][+location][+time/+space] the place where something begins or is found
NOTE: the 'source' is an attribute of the NP it refers to, source of NP = part-of NP

Examples:
Italy is credited with being the source of the Renaissance.
No one seems to know the source of this custom.
Mary went straight to the source to address that management issue. (metaphoric use)
Who found the source of the Nile?

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 2: an information reference, e.g. publication or an organization

Commentary: SOURCE[+supplier][+information][+reference][+document/+organization] a publication, document or place from which information is obtained

Examples:
What is the source for these statistics?
This account has been corroborated by many independent sources.
I found three different spellings of that word in three different sources.
The reporter checked his sources before running the story.
Their government-run press is not a reliable source.
Five cities with the highest median price of houses. Source: Realtors Association

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 9, 2

Sense Number 3: an informant

Commentary: SOURCE[+person][+informant] a person who supplies information

Examples:
The reporter would not disclose the name or gender of his source.
The mobster has his sources set up all over this city.
He was apparently a source for both the CIA and the KGB.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 5

Sense Number 4: the cause or instigation of something

Commentary: SOURCE[+cause] someone or something that causes or initiates something source of NP = cause NP

Examples:
Scientists are trying to understand the possible sources of recent global warming.
The source of the shuttle disaster was a faulty O-ring.
Those two are always a source of trouble!
The source of their mistrust lay in decades of failed social institutions.
Legal critics say that litigation is a major source of rising transaction costs.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 6

Sense Number 5: inspiration or muse

Commentary: SOURCE[+inspiration] anything that provides inspiration for later work

Examples:
Claudia is the source of all of my great writing.
That film got its source from vignettes of the director's childhood.
The composer claims that his compositions have a divine source.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3

Sense Number 6: repository or reservoir of something

Commentary: SOURCE[+repository] SOURCE[+reservoir]
NOTE: it can be physical or abstract
NOTE: source of NP = NP source, but not NP's source (this seems marked) source of iron = iron source NOT iron's source

Examples:
Spinach is a good source of iron.
Her grandmother is a great source of stories and gossip.
The local flea market is a great source for finding cheap furniture and housewares.
The sun is a major source of energy for our planet.
That unclean drinking water is a sure source of bacterial infection.
His friendship was always a source of comfort through the years.
An electrode that provides the electrons for current through a transistor is called the source.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 4, 7, 8