founder

v., -dered, -der·ing, -ders.

v.intr.

1. To sink below the surface of the water: The ship struck a reef and foundered.
2. To cave in; sink: The platform swayed and then foundered.
3. To fail utterly; collapse: a marriage that soon foundered.
4. To stumble, especially to stumble and go lame. Used of horses.
5. To become ill from overeating. Used of livestock.
6. To be afflicted with laminitis. Used of horses.

v.tr.
To cause to founder.

n.
See laminitis.

[Middle English foundren, to sink to the ground, from Old French fondrer, from Vulgar Latin *funderāre, from *fundus, *funder-, bottom, from Latin fundus, fund-.]

USAGE NOTE   The verbs founder and flounder are often confused. Founder comes from a Latin word meaning "bottom" (as in foundation) and originally referred to knocking enemies down; it is now also used to mean "to fail utterly, collapse." Flounder means "to move clumsily, thrash about," and hence "to proceed in confusion." If John is foundering in Chemistry 1, he had better drop the course; if he is floundering, he may yet pull through.

found·er² (foun'dər)
n.
One who establishes something or formulates the basis for something: the founder of a university; the founders of a new nation.

verb

To go beneath the surface or to the bottom of a liquid: sink, submerge, submerse. See rise/fall.

founder²

noun

One that creates, founds, or originates: architect, author, creator, entrepreneur, father, inventor, maker, originator, parent, patriarch. See start/end.

v

Definition: go under, fail
Antonyms: accomplish, achieve, succeed

---

v. (of a ship) fill with water and sink: six drowned when the ship foundered.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

One who provides the first gift to establish a charitable institution, such as a college. One who organizes or begins an entity.

founder_'s shares shares in a corporation or company issued to the organizers and often carrying special privileges.

IN BRIEF: A person who establishes. Also: To sink below the surface of the water.

The first human being who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization. — Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).

Tutor's tip: The club's shy "founder" (a person who starts a group or institution) would "flounder" (to struggle; to act clumsily) in his attempt to tell what it was like in the beginning.

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - grundlægger, stifter

idioms:

• founder member    medstifter, oprindeligt medlem

2.
n. - støber

3.
v. intr. - gå under, forlise
v. tr. - sejle i sænk
n. - forfangenhed, hovlidelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
oprichter, metaalsmelter, hoefontsteking, invalide worden, instorten, zinken, lam/invalide maken (door overvoeding)

Français (French)
1.
n. - fondateur, créateur

idioms:

• founder member    membre fondateur

2.
n. - propriétaire d'une fonderie

3.
v. intr. - sombrer (un bateau), s'embourber, être en difficultés, s'en aller en fumée
v. tr. - faire couler
n. - (Vét) fourbure

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Gründer, Stifter

idioms:

• founder member    Gründungsmitglied

2.
n. - Gießer

3.
v. - sinken, straucheln, stolpern
n. - Hufrehe

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ιδρυτής, θεμελιωτής, μεταλλοχύτης
v. - βυθίζομαι, βουλιάζω, καταποντίζω/-ομαι, ναυαγώ (κν. φουντάρω), σκοντάφτω

idioms:

• founder member    ιδρυτικό μέλος

Italiano (Italian)
fallire, fondatore

idioms:

• founder member    membro fondatore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fundador (m)
v. - afundar

idioms:

• founder member    sócio-fundador (m)

Русский (Russian)
основатель, учредитель

idioms:

• founder member    член-основатель

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - fundador, creador, institutor

idioms:

• founder member    miembro fundador

2.
n. - dueño de una fundición

3.
v. intr. - llenarse de agua y hundirse
v. tr. - hacer que se hunda, echar a pique
n. - (vet.) despeadura

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gjutare, grundare, ledstyvhet (vet. med.)
v. - snava och falla (om häst), förlisa (sjö), störta in (om t.ex.hus), stupa (bildl.), tröttköra, segla i kvav, slå ned i marken (golf)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 浸水而沉没, 垮掉, 崩溃, 失败, 使沉没, 弄跛, 使摔倒, 创立者, 缔造者, 奠基者

idioms:

• founder member    创办人, 发起人

2. 铸造工, 翻砂工

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
v. intr. - 浸水而沈沒, 垮掉, 崩潰, 失敗
v. tr. - 使沈沒, 弄跛, 使摔倒
n. - 創立者, 締造者, 奠基者

idioms:

• founder member    創辦人, 發起人

2.
n. - 鑄造工, 翻砂工

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 재단, 창설자

2.
n. - 주조자, 주물공

3.
v. intr. - 배가 침몰하다, 다리를 절다, 비틀거리며 넘어지다
v. tr. - 침몰 시키다, 넘어뜨리다
n. - (말의) 제엽염

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 創立者, 設立者
v. - 浸水して沈没する, 倒れる, 失敗する

idioms:

• founder member    創立会員

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مؤسس (فعل) يتعثر , تغرق السفينه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮טבע, נכשל, שקע, התמלא מים, מעד, נפל‬
v. tr. - ‮טיבע, הפיל‬
n. - ‮דלקת ברגל הסוס מעבודת יתר‬
n. - ‮מייסד, בונה‬
n. - ‮שיגרון בשרירי החזה אצל סוסים‬

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