font: "complete set of characters of a particular face and size of type," 1680s (also fount), earlier "a casting" (1570s), from Middle French fonte "a casting," noun use of fem. past participle of fondre "to melt". So called because all the letters in a given set were cast at the same time. - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.etymonline.com... ; title="http://www.etymonline.com... ;