Part 689

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 upon, to leap on; to rush on with haste or violence; to assault.

Spring (?), 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.

She starts, and leaves her bed, amd 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.

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 spar (Naut.), to strain it so that it is unserviceable.

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 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.

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; as 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 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.