Spring \Spring\ (spr[i^]ng), v. i. [imp. {Sprang} (spr[a^]ng) or {Sprung} (spr[u^]ng); p. p. {Sprung}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Springing}.] [AS. springan; akin to D. & G. springen, OS. & OHG. springan, Icel. & Sw. springa, Dan. springe; cf. Gr. spe`rchesqai to hasten. Cf. {Springe}, {Sprinkle}.] 1. To leap; to bound; to jump.
The mountain stag that springs From height to height, and bounds along the plains. --Philips.
2. To issue with speed and violence; to move with activity; to dart; to shoot.
And sudden light Sprung through the vaulted roof. --Dryden.
3. To start or rise suddenly, as from a covert.
Watchful as fowlers when their game will spring. --Otway.
4. To fly back; as, a bow, when bent, springs back by its elastic power.
5. To bend from a straight direction or plane surface; to become warped; as, a piece of timber, or a plank, sometimes springs in seasoning.
6. To shoot up, out, or forth; to come to the light; to begin to appear; to emerge; as a plant from its seed, as streams from their source, and the like; -- often followed by up, forth, or out.
Till well nigh the day began to spring. --Chaucer.
To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth. --Job xxxviii. 27.
Do not blast my springing hopes. --Rowe.
O, spring to light; auspicious Babe, be born. --Pope.
7. To issue or proceed, as from a parent or ancestor; to result, as from a cause, motive, reason, or principle.
[They found] new hope to spring Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet linked. --Milton.
8. To grow; to thrive; to prosper.
What makes all this, but Jupiter the king, At whose command we perish, and we spring? --Dryden.
{To spring at}, to leap toward; to attempt to reach by a leap.
{To spring forth}, to leap out; to rush out.
{To spring in}, to rush in; to enter with a leap or in haste.
{To spring on} or {To spring upon}, to leap on; to rush on with haste or violence; to assault.
Spring \Spring\, n. [AS. spring a fountain, a leap. See {Spring}, v. i.] 1. A leap; a bound; a jump.
The prisoner, with a spring, from prison broke. --Dryden.
2. A flying back; the resilience of a body recovering its former state by its elasticity; as, the spring of a bow.
3. Elastic power or force.
Heavens! what a spring was in his arm! --Dryden.
4. An elastic body of any kind, as steel, India rubber, tough wood, or compressed air, used for various mechanical purposes, as receiving and imparting power, diminishing concussion, regulating motion, measuring weight or other force.
Note: The principal varieties of springs used in mechanisms are the {spiral spring} (Fig. a), the {coil spring} (Fig. b), the {elliptic spring} (Fig. c), the {half-elliptic spring} (Fig. d), the {volute spring}, the {India-rubber spring}, the {atmospheric spring}, etc.
5. Any source of supply; especially, the source from which a stream proceeds; an issue of water from the earth; a natural fountain. ``All my springs are in thee.'' --Ps. lxxxvii. 7. ``A secret spring of spiritual joy.'' --Bentley. ``The sacred spring whence right and honor streams.'' --Sir J. Davies.
6. Any active power; that by which action, or motion, is produced or propagated; cause; origin; motive.
Our author shuns by vulgar springs to move The hero's glory, or the virgin's love. --Pope.
7. That which springs, or is originated, from a source; as: (a) A race; lineage. [Obs.] --Chapman. (b) A youth; a springal. [Obs.] --Spenser. (c) A shoot; a plant; a young tree; also, a grove of trees; woodland. [Obs.] --Spenser. Milton.
8. That which causes one to spring; specifically, a lively tune. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.
9. The season of the year when plants begin to vegetate and grow; the vernal season, usually comprehending the months of March, April, and May, in the middle latitudes north of the equator. ``The green lap of the new-come spring.'' --Shak.
Note: Spring of the astronomical year begins with the vernal equinox, about March 21st, and ends with the summer solstice, about June 21st.
10. The time of growth and progress; early portion; first stage; as, the spring of life. ``The spring of the day.'' --1 Sam. ix. 26.
O how this spring of love resembleth The uncertain glory of an April day. --Shak.
11. (Naut.) (a) A crack or fissure in a mast or yard, running obliquely or transversely. (b) A line led from a vessel's quarter to her cable so that by tightening or slacking it she can be made to lie in any desired position; a line led diagonally from the bow or stern of a vessel to some point upon the wharf to which she is moored.
{Air spring}, {Boiling spring}, etc. See under {Air}, {Boiling}, etc.
{Spring back} (Bookbinding), a back with a curved piece of thin sheet iron or of stiff pasteboard fastened to the inside, the effect of which is to make the leaves of a book thus bound (as a ledger or other account or blank book) spring up and lie flat.
{Spring balance}, a contrivance for measuring weight or force by the elasticity of a spiral spring of steel.
{Spring beam}, a beam that supports the side of a paddle box. See {Paddle beam}, under {Paddle}, n.
{Spring beauty}. (a) (Bot.) Any plant of the genus {Claytonia}, delicate herbs with somewhat fleshy leaves and pretty blossoms, appearing in springtime. (b) (Zo["o]l.) A small, elegant American butterfly ({Erora l[ae]ta}) which appears in spring. The hind wings of the male are brown, bordered with deep blue; those of the female are mostly blue.
{Spring bed}, a mattress, under bed, or bed bottom, in which springs, as of metal, are employed to give the required elasticity.
{Spring beetle} (Zo["o]l.), a snapping beetle; an elater.
{Spring box}, the box or barrel in a watch, or other piece of mechanism, in which the spring is contained.
{Spring fly} (Zo["o]l.), a caddice fly; -- so called because it appears in the spring.
{Spring grass} (Bot.), vernal grass. See under {Vernal}.
{Spring gun}, a firearm discharged by a spring, when this is trodden upon or is otherwise moved.
{Spring hook} (Locomotive Engines), one of the hooks which fix the driving-wheel spring to the frame.
{Spring latch}, a latch that fastens with a spring.
{Spring lock}, a lock that fastens with a spring.
{Spring mattress}, a spring bed.
{Spring of an arch} (Arch.) See {Springing line of an arch}, under {Springing}.
{Spring of pork}, the lower part of a fore quarter, which is divided from the neck, and has the leg and foot without the shoulder. [Obs.] --Nares.
Sir, pray hand the spring of pork to me. --Gayton.
{Spring pin} (Locomotive Engines), an iron rod fitted between the springs and the axle boxes, to sustain and regulate the pressure on the axles.
{Spring rye}, a kind of rye sown in the spring; -- in distinction from winter rye, sown in autumn.
{Spring stay} (Naut.), a preventer stay, to assist the regular one. --R. H. Dana, Jr.
{Spring tide}, the tide which happens at, or soon after, the new and the full moon, and which rises higher than common tides. See {Tide}.
{Spring wagon}, a wagon in which springs are interposed between the body and the axles to form elastic supports.
{Spring wheat}, any kind of wheat sown in the spring; -- in distinction from winter wheat, which is sown in autumn.
Spring \Spring\ (spr[i^]ng), v. t. 1. To cause to spring up; to start or rouse, as game; to cause to rise from the earth, or from a covert; as, to spring a pheasant.
2. To produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly; as, to spring a surprise on someone; to spring a joke.
She starts, and leaves her bed, and springs a light. --Dryden.
The friends to the cause sprang a new project. --Swift.
3. To cause to explode; as, to spring a mine.
4. To crack or split; to bend or strain so as to weaken; as, to spring a mast or a yard.
5. To cause to close suddenly, as the parts of a trap operated by a spring; as, to spring a trap.
6. To bend by force, as something stiff or strong; to force or put by bending, as a beam into its sockets, and allowing it to straighten when in place; -- often with in, out, etc.; as, to spring in a slat or a bar.
7. To pass over by leaping; as, to spring a fence.
8. To release (a person) from confinement, especially from a prison. [colloquial] [PJC]
{To spring a butt} (Naut.), to loosen the end of a plank in a ship's bottom.
{To spring a leak} (Naut.), to begin to leak.
{To spring an arch} (Arch.), to build an arch; -- a common term among masons; as, to spring an arch over a lintel.
{To spring a rattle}, to cause a rattle to sound. See {Watchman's rattle}, under {Watchman}.
{To spring the luff} (Naut.), to ease the helm, and sail nearer to the wind than before; -- said of a vessel. --Mar. Dict.
{To spring a mast} or {To spring a spar} (Naut.), to strain it so that it is unserviceable.
Li paid tribute to the force for helping crush the spring democracy movement, but added, "China faces a long-term struggle and we cannot afford to slacken our vigilance," Xinhua said.
Clorox Co. will do its first sponsorships in recent times this spring: a magic show as well as a drama with family appeal.
The Peoria portion is tentatively scheduled to coincide with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to the United States this spring.
The document was more conservative in tone than a draft pastoral letter released last spring by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops.
Sulphur and molasses is an age-old recipe for spring fever, and here's its economic equivalent, something to lift your spirits and help develop the brighter side of things.
The restaurants had been serving such fare as baby spring chicken and chocolate decadence cake since the council stopped a city food service that had cost $4,600 per year.
For this spring's touch, it's a large banded straw hat overturned like a salad bowl.
A year ago, for example, none foresaw the devastating drought that swept across much of the nation in the spring of 1988 or the economic grief it caused for hard-pressed farmers trying to recover from earlier financial troubles.
He was so unhappy in what he called the "dummy class" in Denver City, Texas, that she took him out two weeks early last spring.
The MMC will report in the spring.
The ISU ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of his capture was delayed from Friday to Monday to wait for students to return to the central Iowa campus from spring break.
"Technical weakness has been persistent over the spring and summer in the volume and advance-decline statistics," Ms. Callies said.
The company introduced two new air-conditioner compressors last spring, just in time to benefit from last summer's abnormally hot weather.
The Whitney plans a spring retrospective of Warhol films.
He hopes the fare wars won't last past the spring.
The March hydrological outlook, usually an annual report on potential for spring flooding from snowmelt, this year is more a chronicle of missing snow and dry soil conditions.
Next spring, Claiborne is introducing a line of "fashion athletic shoes" that coordinate with a collection of Claiborne clothes.
The December calendar usually is filled with cases granted review the previous spring, but since the justices appear unlikely to fill even the November argument calendar, they aren't likely to have enough cases ready to hear in December.
In the spring of 1990, Coopers made Watson a partner. Stewart Senior, another Coopers consultant, was brought in to run the technical side of the project at the start of this year.
The Socialist government faces defeat in next spring's elections.
The weekend's defections threaten to weaken the Forum's grassroots campaign to retain power in the general to elections to be held before next spring. Aides of the prime minister expect to limit the far-right share of the vote to less than 10 per cent.
Bolstering the recovery had to be the government's aim for next year. Mr Clarke told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost programme: 'It surprised everybody when we began to have recovery in the spring and summer of this year.
Others were students heading for warmer climes over spring break.
Versace _ The best selection of high waisted pants and skirts. Nighttime's most seductive spring look in transparent chiffon blouses.
The warning against swimming could last for months and possibly affect the spring tourist season, said Wayne Fanning of the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
But authorities this year may be more concerned about controlling the holiday celebrations after hundreds of thousands of disenchanted Chinese took to the streets last spring calling for democracy and other changes.
We are just looking to see what the public wants.' The consultation period will run to the end of the year, and a decision is not expected until next spring.
"We bought investment-grade securities in the spring, and by the fall they were trading as junk bonds," said Edward N. Bennett, the Hartford's chief investment officer.
While the spring growth will be a milestone, Giedraitis said, it could be two years before the tree is "out of the woods."
Japan's labor unions mount a so-called spring offensive each April in a bid to improve annual contracts, and the rank and file tend to follow patterns set by the largest companies.