Spring

Spring, spring, v.i. to bound: to leap: to rush hastily: to move suddenly by elastic force: to start up suddenly: to break forth: to appear: to issue: to come into existence: (B.) to rise, as the sun.—v.t. to cause to spring up: to start: to produce quickly, cause to act suddenly: to leap over: to explode, as a mine: to open, as a leak: to crack, as a mast: to bend by force, strain: (archit.) to start from an abutment, &c.: to set together with bevel-joints:—pa.t. sprang, sprung; pa.p. sprung.—n. a leap: a flying back with elastic force: elastic power: an elastic body: any active power: that by which action is produced: cause or origin: a source: an outflow of water from the earth: (B.) the dawn: the time when plants begin to spring up and grow, the vernal season—March, April, May: a starting of a plank in a vessel: a crack in a mast.—ns. Spring′al, Spring′ald, an active springy young man, a youth; Spring′-back, an inner false joint on a bound book, springing upward from the true or outer back when the book is opened flat; Spring′-bal′ance, an instrument for determining the weight of a body by the elasticity of a spiral spring; Spring′-beam, a beam of considerable span, without central support, the tie-beam of a truss; in a steamer, a fore-and-aft beam for connecting the two paddle-beams: an elastic bar at the top of a tilt-hammer, jig-saw, &c.; Spring′-beau′ty, the Claytonia Virginica; Spring′-bed, a mattress formed of spiral springs set in a wooden frame; Spring′-bee′tle, an elater; Spring′-board, a board fastened on elastic supports, used to spring from in performing feats of agility; Spring′bok, a beautiful South African antelope, larger than a roebuck [Dut.]; Spring′-box, a box or barrel in which a spring is coiled: the frame of a sofa, &c., in which the springs are set; Spring′-carr′iage, a wheel-carriage mounted on springs; Spring′-cart, a light cart mounted upon springs; Spring′er, a kind of dog of the spaniel class, useful for springing game in copses: one who springs: the bottom stone of an arch; Spring′-gun, a gun having wires connected with its trigger, and so fixed and planted as to be discharged when trespassers stumble against the wire; Spring′-halt, a jerking lameness in which a horse suddenly twitches up his leg or legs; Spring′-hamm′er, a machine-hammer in which the blow is delivered or augmented by the force of a spring; Spring′-head, a fountain-head, source: a head or end-piece for a carriage-spring.—adj. Spring′-head′ed (Spens.), having heads springing afresh.—ns. Spring′-heeled Jack, one supposed capable of leaping a great height or distance in carrying out mischievous or frolicsome tricks; Spring′-hook, an angler's snap-hook or spear-hook: a latch or door-hook with a spring-catch for keeping it fast in the staple: in a locomotive, a hook fixing the driving-wheel spring to the frame; Spring′-house, a house for keeping meat in, or a dairy, built for coolness over a spring or brook; Spring′iness; Spring′ing, the act of springing, leaping, arising, or issuing: (B.) growth, increase: (archit.) the lowest part of an arch on both sides; Spring′-jack, a device for inserting a loop in a main electric line-circuit, a plug being forced between two spring contacts; Spring′-latch, a latch that snaps into the keeper whenever the door is shut; Spring′let, a little spring: a small stream; Spring′-lig′ament, the inferior calcaneoscaphoid ligament of the sole of the foot; Spring′-lock, a lock which fastens by a spring; Spring′-mat′tress=Spring-bed; Spring′-net, a net that closes with a spring; Spring′-pad′lock, a padlock that snaps itself shut; Spring′-pole, a pole whose elasticity serves as a spring; Spring′-sad′dle, a bent iron bar of [Image: Spring-saddle] form on the top of a railway carriage journal-box, surrounding the arch-bar and supporting the spring; Spring′-search′er, a steel-pronged tool to search for defects in the bore of a gun; Spring′-shack′le, a shackle closed by a spring: a shackle joining one spring of a vehicle with another or with a rigid piece; Spring′-stay (naut.), a smaller stay, placed above the stays as a duplicate if needed; Spring′-stud, a rod passed through the axis of a coil-spring to keep it in place; Spring′-tail, one of an order of primitive wingless insects (Collembola), so called popularly from a peculiar springing fork usually present on the abdomen; Spring′-tide, the periodical excess of the elevation and depression of the tide, after new and full moon, when both sun and moon act in the same direction; Spring′-tide, -time, the season of spring; Spring′-tool, any tool bearing a spring, as a glass-blower's tongs; Spring′-trap, a trap worked by a spring, a mouse-trap, &c.; Spring′-valve, a valve fitted with a spring: a safety-valve connected with a spring-balance; Spring′-wa′ter, water issuing from a spring; Spring′-wheat, wheat sown in the spring, rather than autumn or winter; Spring′-wort, a plant which draws down lightning—perh. the caperspurge.—adj. Spring′y, pertaining to, or like, a spring, elastic, nimble: abounding with springs.—Spring a leak, to commence leaking; Spring a mine, to cause it to explode—often used figuratively; Spring a rattle, to cause a rattle to sound; Spring at, to leap at; Spring forth, to come forward with a leap: to shoot up rapidly; Spring on, or upon, to attack with violence. [A.S. springan; Ger. springen.]