Spring

Spring

Verb

(past tense: sprang, past participle: sprung) class III strong verb

Old English: Springan

Middle English: Springen

Meaning: to leap, burst forth, fly up

Meaning 2: spread, grow

Mostly meaning sudden or rapid movement, especially upwards. (He..þæt spere sprengde, þæt hit sprang ongean.) Possible connection with the season in that it is the season when plants are supposed to spring. (spring - noun=conversion?)

Noun

Meaning:

1. the source or head of a well,stream (pramen) - from OE

2. the act of springing (leaping)/ spring - tool (pružina) - from 14c.

3. season following winter 14c.

4. the beginning (eg.of day, year,...) (e.g. "dayspring" 14c.)

Old English: springe/spryng (masc.)

OED:formed respectively from the primary and weak grades of the stem spring- , sprang- , sprung- : see spring v.1, from which a number of the later senses are directly derived. In OE not so common, occurring in senses which have not survived.

Middle English: springe

First appearances of "spring" in the meaning referring to the season.

Spring - season

Derived from "spring of the year", the time when plants begin to rise, from the original meaning "to spring". Until 14th century, the term used to refer to the spring was "lent" derived from West Germanic "langa-tinaz" (long days), meaning forty days before Easter.

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