spring

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈspɹɪŋ/; /ˈspɹiŋ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Middle English springen, inherited from Old English springan (“to leap, burst forth”),^[2][3][4][5] from Proto-Germanic *sprenganan,^[2][3] usually derived from Proto-Indo-European *sprengʰ-, a nasal form of a root meaning “to move, hasten”,^[2][6] related to Ancient Greek σπέρχεσθαι (spérkhesthai, “to hurry”) and Sanskrit स्पृहयति (spṛháyati, “desires eagerly”).^[2][7] Boutkan preferred a derivation from the root of sparse.^[2] The noun is spring (“source of a stream”), from the verb.^[2][3][4] It is cognate with Old Norse springa, Dutch springen and German springen.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun: the source of a stream or river (816).^[8][3][2] The verb: to leap or burst forth, already in Beowulf (about 725).^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

In Old English the noun was used mainly in compounds such as wyllspring, wellspring;^[2] a flow of water rising from the ground is recorded from about 1125.^[6][9] From the water bursting out came the figurative sense of a source or origin (early 13th century).^[2][8] Middle English used spring for the rising or beginning of anything: spring of dai for dawn, and the rising of the moon or tide.^[2][10] The season was first springing time (early 14th century), then spring of the year or spring of the leaf (1520s–30s), shortened to spring by the 1540s;^[2][6][10] it replaced the Old English name Lent, and in the 15th century prime-temps was also used.^[2][10] The sense of an elastic device, at first in clocks and watches, is from the early 15th century (1428 in Barnhart),^[3][2] and carriage springs date from the 1660s.^[2] In Middle English the verb took over the causative role of sprengan, as in to spring a trap;^[2][11] later senses include to announce suddenly (1876), to free from prison (1900) and, in slang, to pay for something (1906).^[2]

Timeline

• about 725 – the verb, in Beowulf.^[6]
• 816 – the source of a stream.^[8][3]
• early 13th century – a source or origin.^[2]
• early 14th century – springing time, the season.^[2]
• 1428 – an elastic device.^[3]
• 1540s – spring, the season.^[2][6]
• 1660s – a carriage spring.^[2]
• 1876 – to announce suddenly.^[2]
• 1900 – to free from prison.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The season between winter and summer, when plants begin to grow.
2. An elastic device, such as a coil of wire, that returns to its shape after being pressed or stretched.
3. A natural flow of water rising from the ground; a place where it rises.
4. A source or origin.
5. A leap or jump.
6. Elasticity or resilience; an energetic bounce.
7. (chiefly Scots) A quick, lively tune, especially on the bagpipes.

Verb

1. To leap or move suddenly upward or forward.
2. To arise or appear suddenly; to come from a source (often with up or from).
3. To release or operate suddenly, as a trap or catch.
4. To present or reveal unexpectedly (often with on).
5. To warp, split or crack, as wood.
6. (informal) To free someone from prison.
7. (informal) To pay for something for someone else (often with for).
8. To fit with springs.

Word family

• springlike
• outspring
• respring
• springer
• springing
• upspring
• bedspring
• dayspring

Related words

• sprang
• sprung
• springald
• springbok
• springe
• springhalt
• offspring
• sprinkle
• spring tide
• wellspring

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
10. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray