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Pronunciation
- enPR: sprĭng, IPA: /sprɪŋ/, SAMPA: /sprIN/
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- Rhymes: -ɪŋ
Etymology
Old English springan.
Sense of ‘season’ 1547, from earlier springing time, spring-time, in sense of buds sprouting or “spring” up. This replaced Old English Lent by the 14th century.[1]
Sense of ‘source of water’ attested circa 1225.[1]
Verb
to spring (third-person singular simple present springs, present participle springing, simple past sprang or sprung, past participle sprung)
- To start to exist.
- Sometimes the ideas spring to life fully formed.
- To jump or leap.
- He sprang up from his seat.
- (slang) To release or set free, especially from prison.
Usage notes
- The past-tense forms sprang and sprung are both well attested historically. In modern usage, sprang is comparatively formal (and more often considered correct), sprung comparatively informal. The past participle, however, is overwhelmingly sprung; sprang as a past participle is attested, but is no longer in standard use.
Synonyms
- (start to exist): be born, come into being, come into existence
- (jump, leap): bound, jump, leap
- (release or set free): free, let out, release, spring loose
Derived terms
Terms derived from the verb
to spring
- hope springs eternal
- outspring
- overspring
- respring
- spring a butt
- spring an arch
- spring a leak
- spring a rattle
- spring at
- springel
- springer
- spring for
- spring forth
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Related terms
Terms related to the verb
to spring
Noun
A coil spring (mechanical device)
spring (countable and uncountable; plural springs)
- (countable) Traditionally the first of the four seasons of the year in temperate regions, in which plants spring from the ground and trees come into blossom, following winter and preceding summer.
- (countable) Meteorologically, the months of March, April and May in the northern hemisphere (or September, October and November in the southern).
- (countable) The astronomically delineated period from the moment of vernal equinox, approximately March 20 in the northern hemisphere to the moment of the summer solstice, approximately June 21. (See Spring (season) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Spring (season) for other variations.)
- (countable) Spring tide; a tide of greater-than-average range, that is, around the first or third quarter of a lunar month, or around the times of the new or full moon.
- (countable) A place where water emerges from the ground.
- (uncountable) The property of a body of springing to its original form after being compressed, stretched, etc.
- (countable) A mechanical device made of flexible or coiled material that exerts force when it is bent, compressed or stretched.
- (countable, nautical) A rope attaching the bow of a vessel to the stern-side of the jetty, or vice versa, to stop the vessel from surging.
- (countable, slang) An erection of the penis.
- (countable) The source of an action
- 1748. David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973, § 9.
- ... discover, at least in some degree, the secret springs and principles, by which the human mind is actuated in its operations?
Usage notes
- Note that season names are usually spelled in all lowercase letters in English. This is contrast to the days of the week and months of the year, which are always spelled with a capitalized first letter, for example Thursday or September.
Synonyms
- (place where water emerges from the ground): fount, source
- (property of a body of springing to its original form): bounce, bounciness, elasticity, resilience, springiness
- (slang: erection of the penis): boner, chubby, hard-on, stiffy, woody; see also "erection" in WikiSaurus
- (source of an action): impetus, impulse
Antonyms
Derived terms
Terms derived from the noun
spring
- advance spring
- after-spring
- afterspring
- air spring
- air-spring
- anti-rattle spring
- Arlington Springs Man
- Arlington Springs Woman
- artesian spring
- austral spring
- autumn-spring
- auxiliary spring
- balance spring
- Barton Springs salamander
- bedspring
- Beijing Spring
- Belleville spring
- bending spring
- Berber Spring
- boiling spring
- border spring
- bow spring
- box spring, box-spring
- brine spring
- brush spring
- buckling spring
- Caballine spring
- Cambridge Springs defence, Cambridge Springs defense
- cantilever spring
- card spring
- cart spring
- cee spring, cee-spring, C spring, c-spring
- clock spring
- closed spring
- coiled spring sign
- coil spring
- coil spring clutch
- ColdSpring
- compression spring
- contact spring
- Croatian Spring
- cupped spring washer
- Damascus Spring
- damper spring
- day-spring, dayspring
- detent ball and spring
- diaphragm spring
- door hold-open spring
- draw-spring, drawspring
- driving spring
- extension spring
- extra spring
- farewell-to-spring
- finger spring
- flat spring
- float bumper spring
- footsteps-of-spring
- forest-spring encephalitis
- garter spring
- gas spring
- graduated spring
- haemoglobin Constant Spring, hemoglobin Constant Spring
- hairspring
- hand-spring, handspring
- harbinger-of-spring
- headspring
- helical spring
- helper spring
- hot spring
- hydrospring
- Indian spring low water
- innerspring
- inside spring caliper
- jagger spring
- Jesus spring
- Kesling spring
- laminated spring
- land-spring
- laspring
- latter spring
- leaf spring, leaf-spring
- lifespring
- locating spring
- loop spring
- mainspring
- master-spring
- mean high water spring
- mean low water spring
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- meshing spring
- mid-spring
- mineral spring
- motor spring
- natural spring
- negative spring
- offspring
- ofspring
- open spring
- Operation Spring Awakening
- Operation Spring Cleanup
- Operation Spring of Youth
- outside spring caliper
- outspring
- overload spring
- paddle spring
- parabolic spring
- Pierian Spring
- piston spring
- Prague Spring
- progressive rate spring
- progressive valve spring
- progressively wound valve spring
- rattle spring
- restoring spring
- retainer spring tool
- retro-spring
- return spring
- Russian spring-summer encephalitis
- saddle-spring
- salt spring
- sear spring
- sea-spring
- seepage spring
- semi-elliptic spring
- separating spring
- shoe return spring
- single rate spring
- soda spring
- spiral spring
- splayed spring
- spreader spring
- spring-action
- Spring and Autumn Period
- spring azure
- spring back, spring-back
- Springbal
- spring balance
- Spring Bank Holiday
- spring bar
- spring-based
- spring baton
- spring beam, spring-beam
- spring beating
- spring beating spoon
- spring beauty, spring-beauty
- spring bed
- spring beetle, spring-beetle
- spring-bell
- spring-biased
- spring binder, spring-binder
- spring-binding
- spring-bladed
- spring bloom
- spring-board, springboard
- spring bolt
- spring booster
- spring bow
- spring bows
- spring box
- spring brake
- spring branch, spring-branch
- spring break
- spring cabbage
- spring cankerworm
- spring cap
- spring-carriage
- spring-cart
- spring catch
- spring channel binder
- spring chicken
- spring choke
- spring clamp
- spring-cleaning
- spring cleavers
- spring clip
- spring clutch
- spring collar
- spring collet
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- spring compressor
- spring conjunctivitis
- spring constant
- spring cress
- spring crocus
- spring crust
- Spring Day
- spring disease
- spring divider
- spring drive
- spring dwindling
- springed
- spring ephemeral
- spring equation
- spring equinox
- springet
- spring eye
- Springfest
- spring festival
- spring fever
- spring finger
- springfish
- spring-flood
- spring fly
- spring force
- springform pan
- spring frog
- spring-froth
- springful
- spring garden
- spring gentian
- spring ginger
- spring grass, spring-grass
- spring green
- spring greens
- spring gun, spring-gun
- spring hanger
- spring hare, spring-hare, springhare
- spring-head, springhead
- spring-headed
- spring heath
- spring-heeled
- spring herring
- spring hock
- spring-hole
- Spring Holiday
- spring hook
- spring-house, springhouse
- spring in one's step
- springish
- spring isolator
- spring juices
- spring-keeper, springkeeper
- spring lamb
- spring lancet
- spring latch
- springle
- springless
- springlet
- spring ligament
- spring-like, springlike
- spring line, springline
- spring line settlement, springline settlement
- springling
- spring-loaded
- spring lock, spring-lock, springlock
- spring lock washer
- spring-locked
- spring mattress
- spring melt
- spring mix
- The Spring of Arda
- The Spring Offensive
- The Spring of Nations
- spring of pork
- spring of the leaf
- spring of the year
- spring onion
- spring ophthalmia
- spring overshoot
- spring overturn
- Spring Palace
- spring pasque flower
- spring peeper
- spring pin
- spring-pit
- spring planting
- spring plate
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- spring-pottage
- spring rail
- spring rate
- spring-release
- spring ring clasp
- spring roll
- spring-run fish
- spring runoff
- spring rye
- spring sail
- spring salmon
- spring-salt
- spring scale
- spring scalecap
- spring seat
- spring shackle
- spring sludge
- spring snow
- spring soup
- springspotter
- spring squill
- spring stay
- spring steel
- spring suspension
- spring sweep
- spring tail, spring-tail, springtail
- spring tapping
- spring-teller
- spring temper
- spring thaw
- spring tide
- spring-tide, springtide
- spring time, spring-time, springtime
- spring-tooth
- spring training
- spring-tree
- Spring Triangle
- spring-type brake actuator
- spring usher
- spring vetch
- spring vetchling
- spring wagon
- spring wagtail
- spring washer
- spring water, spring-water, springwater
- spring-well
- spring wheat
- spring windup
- spring wood, spring-wood, springwood
- springy
- steel spring
- sulfur spring, sulphur spring
- tensioning spring
- tension spring
- thermal spring
- thermostatic spring choke
- throttle return spring
- torsion spring
- trailing spring
- truss spring steel
- underspring
- upholstery coil spring
- uprighting spring
- upspring
- valve spring
- valve spring cap
- valve spring collar
- valve spring compressor
- valve spring depressor
- valve spring lifter
- valve spring retainer
- valve spring seat
- variable rate spring
- variable spring
- vauclusian spring
- vintage spring
- volute spring
- V-spring
- wall spring
- warm spring
- watch main spring steel
- watch-spring
- water-spring
- wave spring
- weeping spring
- well-spring, wellspring
- zero-length spring
- Z spring
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Related terms
Terms related to the noun
spring
Translations
season
higher-than-average tide
- Finnish: tulvavuoksi fi(fi)
- German: Springflut de(de) f.
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- Korean: 한사리 (hansari)
- Russian: прилив ru(ru) m.
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water source
- Afrikaans: bron af(af)
- Arabic: عين ar(ar) (`ayn) m.
- Armenian: աղբյուր hy(hy) (aġbyur), ակ hy(hy) (ak), ակունք hy(hy) (akunk’), ակունք hy(hy) (akunk’)
- Basque: iturri eu(eu)
- Breton: eienenn f. eien, andon f., andonioù pl., mammenn f., mammennoù pl.
- Bulgarian: извор bg(bg) m.
- CJKV Characters: 洤
- Chinese: 泉 (quán), 源泉 (yuán quán)
- Czech: pramen cs(cs) m.
- Danish: kilde da(da) c.
- Dutch: bron nl(nl), wel nl(nl)
- Esperanto: fonto eo(eo)
- Estonian: allikas, läte, veesilm
- Finnish: lähde fi(fi)
- French: source fr(fr) f.
- German: Quelle de(de) f.
- Greek: πηγή el(el) (pigí) f., νερομάνα el(el) (neromána) f., κεφαλάρι el(el) (kefalári) n., ανάβρα el(el) (anávra) f.
- Hebrew: מעיין (maayán) m.
- Hungarian: forrás hu(hu)
- Indonesian: mata air
- Interlingua: fonte
- Italian: fonte it(it) f., sorgente it(it) f.
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property of a body of springing to its original form
- Finnish: joustavuus fi(fi)
- Greek: ελαστικότητα el(el) (elastikótita) f.
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- Russian: упругость ru(ru) f., эластичность ru(ru) f.
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device made of flexible material
- Armenian: զսպանակ hy(hy) (zspanak)
- Basque: Malguki eu(eu)
- Breton: gwinterell f., gwinterelloù pl.
- Bulgarian: пружина bg(bg) f.
- Chinese: 弹簧, 发条 (fātiáo)
- Croatian: opruga hr(hr) f.
- Czech: pružina cs(cs) f.
- Danish: fjeder c.
- Dutch: veer nl(nl) f.
- Esperanto: risorto eo(eo)
- Estonian: vedru et(et)
- Finnish: jousi fi(fi)
- French: ressort fr(fr) m.
- German: Sprungfeder de(de) f.
- Greek: ελατήριο el(el) (elatírio) n., σούστα el(el) (soústa) f.
- Hebrew: קפיץ (kfitz) m.
- Hungarian: rugó hu(hu)
- Indonesian: pegas id(id), per id(id)
- Interlingua: resorto
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- Italian: molla it(it) f.
- Japanese: ばね ja(ja) (bane)
- Korean: 용수철 (yongsucheol)
- Latvian: atspere lv(lv) f.
- Lithuanian: spyruoklė lt(lt) f.
- Macedonian: пружина mk(mk) (prúžina) f., федер mk(mk) (féder) m.
- Maltese: molla mt(mt) f.
- Norwegian: fjær no(no) m.
- Polish: sprężyna pl(pl) f.
- Portuguese: mola pt(pt) f.
- Romanian: arc ro(ro) n.
- Russian: пружина ru(ru) (pružína) f., рессора ru(ru) f.
- Slovene: vzmet sl(sl) f., pero sl(sl) n.
- Spanish: resorte es(es) m.
- Swedish: fjäder sv(sv) c.
- Turkish: yay tr(tr), zemberek tr(tr)
- West Frisian: fear f.
- Yiddish: ספּרענזשינעס yi(yi) (sprenzhineh) f.
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rope on a boat
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- Russian: шпринг ru(ru) m.
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erection —
see erection
source of an action
- Greek: ελατήριο el(el) (elatírio) n.
- Portuguese: origem f.
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- Russian: мотив ru(ru) m., причина ru(ru) f.
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See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “spring” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
Danish
Etymology
Verbal noun to springe.
Noun
spring n. (singular definite springet, plural indefinite spring)
- spring, jump, vault, leap
Related terms
Related terms
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- springbane
- springbræt
- springkniv
- springmadras
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Inflection
Inflection of
spring
Verb
spring
- Imperative of springe
Dutch
Pronunciation
Verb
spring
- first-person singular present indicative of springen.
- imperative of springen.
German
Pronunciation
Verb
spring
- Imperative singular of springen.
- (colloquial)First-person singular present of springen.
Scots
Pronunciation
Noun
spring (plural springs)
- spring, springtime
- growth of vegetation in springtime
Verb
tae spring (third-person singular simple present springs, present participle springin, simple past sprang, past participle sprung)
- to spring
- to leap over, cross at a bound
- to put forth, send up or out
- to burst, split, break apart, break into
- to dance a reel
Swedish
Verb
spring
- imperative of springa
