a silver stater of the pre-roman durotriges tribe has been found in teffont which may have been near the boundary of durotrigian territory. the modern name derives from "teo", an old germanic word meaning a boundary, and the late latin word "fontana", meaning a spring of water. the perennial stream rises at spring head at the north end of teffont magna, and flows some 2.5 km south to its debouchment into the river nadder.