"lay the basis of, establish," late 13c., from Old French fonder "found, establish; set, place; fashion, make" (12c.), from Latin fundare "to lay the bottom or foundation" of something, from fundus "bottom, foundation"

"to cast metal," late 14c., originally "to mix, mingle," from Old French

fondre

"pour out, melt, smelt" (12c.), from Latin

fundere

(past participle

fusus

) "to melt, cast, pour out," from nasalized form of PIE root *gheu- "to pour." Meaning "to cast metal" is from 1560s.

"discovered," late 14c., past-participle adjective from find (v.).

late 14c., "action of founding," from Old French

fondacion

"foundation" (14c.) or directly from Late Latin

fundationem

(nominative

fundatio

) "a founding," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin

fundare

"to lay a bottom or foundation" (see found (v.1). The Latin word is glossed in Old English by

stapol.

“one who establishes, one who sets up or institutes (something)," mid-14c., from Anglo-French

fundur

, Old French

fondeor

"founder, originator" (Modern French

fondateur

), from Latin

fundator

, agent noun from

fundare

"to lay a foundation" (see found (v.1)). Fem. form

foundress

is from early 15c.; also

fundatrix

(1540s).

1670s, "a bottom, the bottom; foundation, groundwork," from French

fond

"a bottom, floor, ground" (12c.).