Foundry technology

La sabbia da fonderia carries a word an English reader will recognise and, on the strength of that, is likely to mis-sort. La fonderia is the foundry, and both nouns go back to the Latin fundere, to pour. From that verb English has « found » in the metal sense — to found a bell, a foundry, a type founder — along with « fuse », « infuse » and « profuse », all of them about flowing. But English also has a second « found », spelled and said exactly the same, which comes from a different Latin verb altogether: fundare, to set on a base, from fundus, the bottom. That is the « found » of « to found a school » and of « foundation ». The two fell together and now look like one word with two unrelated meanings. Italian never let them touch. Fondere is to melt and to pour, and gives la fonderia itself; fondare is to establish, and gives la fondazione. Whoever starts a company is il fondatore; whoever casts the metal is il fonditore. One letter keeps them apart, and it is the only thing that does.