spring (v.)

Middle English springen, from Old English springan "to leap, leap up, jump;" of a fountain, spring, etc., "burst forth;" also "fly up; spread, grow" (class III strong verb; past tense sprang, past participle sprungen). This is from Proto-Germanic *sprenganan (source also of Old Norse springa "burst," Old Frisian springa, Middle Dutch springhen, Dutch springen, Old Saxon and Old High German springan, German springen "jump"). This is usually said to be from PIE *sprengh-, a nasalized form of root *spergh- "to move, hasten, spring" (source also of Sanskrit sprhayati "desires eagerly," Greek sperkhesthai "to hurry"). However Boutkan is attracted to an alternative derivation from PIE root *sper- "to spread, to sow" (for which see sparse).

In Middle English, it took on the role of causal sprenge, from Old English sprengan (as still in to spring a trap, etc.). The meaning "to cause to work or open," by or as by a releasing of the spring mechanism, is from 1828.

The transitive meaning "announce suddenly, bring out hastily and unexpectedly" (usually with on) is from 1876. The meaning "to release" (from imprisonment) is from 1900. The slang meaning "to pay" (for a treat, etc.) is recorded from 1906.

"season following winter, first of the four seasons of the year; the season in which plants begin to rise," by 1540s, a shortening of spring of the year (1520s), which is from a special sense of an otherwise now-archaic spring (n.) "act or time of springing or appearing; the first appearance; the beginning, birth, rise, or origin" of anything (see spring v., and compare spring (n.2), spring (n.3)).

The earliest form seems to have been springing time (early 14c.). The notion is of the "spring of the year," when plants begin to rise and trees to bud (as in spring of the leaf, 1520s).

The Middle English noun also was used of sunrise, the waxing of the moon, rising tides, sprouting of the beard or pubic hair, etc.; compare 14c. spring of dai "sunrise," spring of mone "moonrise." Late Old English spring meant "carbuncle, pustule."

As the word for the vernal season it replaced Old English lencten (see Lent). Other Germanic languages take words for "fore" or "early" as their roots for the season name (Danish voraar, Dutch voorjaar, literally "fore-year;" German Frühling, from Middle High German vrueje "early").

In 15c. English, the season also was prime-temps, after Old French prin tans, tamps prim (Modern French printemps, which replaced primevère 16c. as the common word for spring), from Latin tempus primum, literally "first time, first season."

As an adjective by early 18c., "pertaining to, suitable for, or occurring in spring."

Spring fever is from 1843 as "surge of romantic feelings;" earlier of a type of disease or head-cold prevalent in certain places in spring; in the older sense Old English had lenctenadle. Spring cleaning in the domestic sense is attested by 1843 (in ancient Persia, the first month, corresponding to March-April, was Adukanaiša, which apparently means "Irrigation-Canal-Cleaning Month;" Kent, p.167).

The Oriental cuisine spring roll is attested by 1943. Spring chicken "small roasting chicken" (usually 11 to 14 weeks) is recorded from 1780; its transferred sense of "young person" is recorded by 1906. Baseball spring training is attested by 1889; the phrase was used earlier of militia musters, etc.

"a natural fountain as the place of rising of a stream or river, a flow of water rising to the surface of the earth from below," Old English spring "spring, source, sprinkling," from spring (v.) on the notion of the water "bursting forth" from the ground. Rarely used alone in Old English, it appeared more often in compounds, such as wyllspring "wellspring," espryng "water spring."

The figurative sense of "source or origin" of anything is attested from early 13c. Cognates include Old High German sprung "source of water," Middle High German sprinc "leap, jump; source of water." Spring-water is in Old English.

"act of springing or leaping," late 14c., from spring (v.), as are spring (n.1) and spring (n.2). The elastic wire coil that returns to its shape when stretched is so called from early 15c., originally in clocks and watches. As a device to smooth the ride in carriages, coaches, etc., it is attested from 1660s.