found·er¹ • n. a person who manufactures articles of cast metal; the owner or operator of a foundry: an iron founder.found·er² • v. [intr.] (of a ship) fill with water and sink: six drowned when the yacht foundered off the Florida coast. ∎  fig. (of a plan or undertaking) fail or break down, typically as a result of a particular problem or setback: the talks foundered on the issue of reform. ∎  (of a hoofed animal, esp. a horse or pony) succumb to laminitis.• n. laminitis in horses, ponies, or other hoofed animals.

founder †smash in XIII; †send to the bottom XIV; (of a horse) stumble and fall, go lame XIV; fill with water and sink XVI. Partly — OF. fondrer send to the bottom, submerge, but mainly aphetic of †afounder (XIV), †enfounder (XV) — OF. *a-, es-, enfondrer, mod. effondrer :- Rom. *ex-, influndorāre, f. EX-1, IN-1 + *fundor-, taken as stem of L. fundus BOTTOM.