Why "fountain" Pens

[Kabe]

We know there was a time when FP's were just 'pens'. When the atomic (ballpointt) pen became ubiquiotous, why were FPs names "fountain" pen. They do not resemble a fountain, there is no huge leaking, etc. Something like "nib pens", or "blade pens" (the nib resembles a blade) would be better, more natural... right?

[Inkanthropist]

Joyce Irene Whalley's Writing Instruments and Accessories (David & Charles, 1975) says the following:

 

'Reservoir pen' is a reasonable term to use, but why 'fountain pen', since the one thing to avoid was any attempt on the part of the pen to spout ink? The reason for this term has not been traced, but its use is surprisingly old. The New English Dictionary gives a date of about 1710, quoting the form 'Fountain-inkhorns or fountain pens'.

[diplomat]

Fountain comes from the latin FONTEM which means "source", "spring".

I found that this is a pretty nice term to denote a tool whose source (of ink) is inside rather than outside (the inkwell).

[FrankB]

Based only on my recollections from youth, the term "fountain" was associated with the ink well as the source of ink. In school, we learned to use "dip pens," and they were referred to as such. But they were also called "fountain pens." Pens which held their own ink were also called "fountain pens." The distinction was not always clear. To this day, many people of my mother's generation (late 70's to early 90's) will start talking about dip pens when the term "fountain pen" is used.

[docsamson]

Very interesting question. Never thought to ask. I'm curious to see what replies you get. I'm guessing it's because of the "reservoir".

Edited October 16, 2009 by docsamson

[inkcoffee]

Most of the people I work with call them "fancy" pens or "ink" pens.

 

I always thought the name had to do with the self contained reservoir/ink supply.

[Kabe]

Fuente (fountain) is also used in spanish. Any other langauges with such an exact correspondence?

[gross]

The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (the 1971 printing of the 1933 edition) lists "fountain pen, a pen furnished with an ink-reservoir."

[coldman]

In Norwegian a fountain pen is called “fyllepenn”, which translates to “filling pen”. I believe the Swedish word is “reservoarpenna”, which means “reservoir pen”.

[rollerboy]

Fountain comes from the latin FONTEM which means "source", "spring".

I found that this is a pretty nice term to denote a tool whose source (of ink) is inside rather than outside (the inkwell).

 

This sounds like the correct etymology to me. I reached this conclusion (albeit without knowing any latin) via "fountain of youth". So yeah, the pen is the source or the spring of the ink.

[ericvb]

In Norwegian a fountain pen is called “fyllepenn”, which translates to “filling pen”.

 

In Dutch it's called a " VULPEN ", exactly the same translation as in Norwegian...

[Kabe]

Scandinavians and Dutchs are closer to a proper name

[lapis]

1. I don't mind the "fountain" jazz, but in many languages, a translation of "feather" is more logical, yes, the source of the ink in the first place.

2. Scandinavian words often have a close relationship with German words -- or, please excuse me -- I mean the opposite as well. Here, a FP is usually -- but not exclusively -- called a "Füller" = "filler". IMO that seems to be the most logical.

But who cares? Main thing is that you got a couple of the darn things.

 

Michael

[petravana]

1. I don't mind the "fountain" jazz, but in many languages, a translation of "feather" is more logical, yes, the source of the ink in the first place.

2. Scandinavian words often have a close relationship with German words -- or, please excuse me -- I mean the opposite as well. Here, a FP is usually -- but not exclusively -- called a "Füller" = "filler". IMO that seems to be the most logical.

But who cares? Main thing is that you got a couple of the darn things.

 

Michael

 

 

Actually in French it's called a "stylo plume" which means a "feather pen."

[bernardo]

In German, foutain pens are called Füller, Füllfeder, Füllhalter, or Füllfederhalter. Füller means filler; Feder means feather; Halter means supporter or container. All in all, Füllfederhalter would be something like reservoir pen.

 

In Spanish, my mother tongue, we call them pluma fuente; literally, fountain pen. In some countries, people call them pluma estilográfica, too.

[Leibniz]

Actually in French it's called a "stylo plume" which means a "feather pen."

But don't forget that plume also means nib in French. So it could be translated nib pen.

[tanburi]

Füller.

 

Same in Turkish. Fountain pen = 'Dolma kalem'. 'Doldurmak' means 'to fill (in)'.

 

Edit: And 'kalem' is the generic word for pens and pencils.

Edited November 16, 2009 by tanburi

[Kaweco]

Hello Pen Friends

Fountainpen is a direct translation from a trade mark of the first German steel nib producer Heintze & Blanckertz in Berlin. They had a "Redis" steel nib with a small top cover containing an additional ink drop, which they called "Quellstift".

Kind Regards, Thomas

[gyrosan]

In Slovenian the term is "nalivno pero" where "nalivno" means to pour, to fill and "pero" is a feather. A "fountain pen" makes sense to me.

 

Kind regards,

gyrosan

[Johnny Appleseed]

We know there was a time when FP's were just 'pens'. When the atomic (ballpointt) pen became ubiquiotous, why were FPs names "fountain" pen. They do not resemble a fountain, there is no huge leaking, etc. Something like "nib pens", or "blade pens" (the nib resembles a blade) would be better, more natural... right?

 

I passed on this when it first came up, but there are a couple of clarifications to make.

 

For one thing, I don't think fountain pens were ever just 'pens'. Maybe there was a period in the mid 20th Century when someone asking for a 'pen' expected nothing other than a fountain pen, but for a much longer period a 'pen' was something that you dipped in ink. From the early 1800s to around the 1930s or 40s a 'pen' was either a feather, or what we would call a nib for a dip-pen. The thing that we now call a dip-pen was called a 'pen holder'. Some 'pens' or 'pen-holders' had appendages or feed-structures to hold extra ink with each dip, and these were called 'reservior pens'.

 

A 'fountain pen' was so called to distinguish it from dip-pens. A fountain-pen carried a 'fount' of ink inside it.

 

All this took place long before the ballpoint appeared on the stage. In fact,the first ballpoint patents in the 1940s referred to ballpoint pens as "improvements in fountain pens" or "automatic fountain pens of the roller ball-tip type". So ball-points were originally considered a form of fountain pen, and only later did we decide that fountain-pens referred to those things with metal nibs. This makes sense, as a ball-point also carries ink in an internal reservior, albeit with a different delivery system.

 

But this does get back to you original question - why did a "nibbed" fountain pen remain a fountain pen, wheras a "ball-point" fountain pen became not-a-fountain pen, despite the fact that it still holds its ink in an internal reservior?

 

John