Middle Englishspringen, from Old Englishspringan "to leap, leap up, jump;" of a fountain, spring, etc., "burst forth;" also "fly up; spread, grow" (class III strong verb; past tensesprang, past participlesprungen). This is from Proto-Germanic*sprenganan (source also of Old Norsespringa "burst," Old Frisianspringa, Middle Dutchspringhen, Dutchspringen, Old Saxon and Old High Germanspringan, Germanspringen "jump"). This is usually said to be from PIE*sprengh-, a nasalized form of root*spergh- "to move, hasten, spring" (source also of Sanskritsprhayati "desires eagerly," Greeksperkhesthai "to hurry"). However Boutkan is attracted to an alternative derivation from PIE root *sper- "to spread, to sow" (for which see sparse).

In Middle English, it took on the role of causalsprenge, from Old Englishsprengan (as still into spring a trap, etc.). The meaning "to cause to work or open," by or as by a releasing of the spring mechanism, is from 1828.

The transitive meaning "announce suddenly, bring out hastily and unexpectedly" (usually withon) is from 1876. The meaning "to release" (from imprisonment) is from 1900. The slang meaning "to pay" (for a treat, etc.) is recorded from 1906.

"season following winter, first of the four seasons of the year; the season in which plants begin to rise," by 1540s, a shortening ofspring of the year (1520s), which is from a special sense of an otherwise now-archaicspring (n.) "act or time of springing or appearing; the first appearance; the beginning, birth, rise, or origin" of anything (seespring v., and comparespring (n.2),spring (n.3)).

The earliest form seems to have beenspringing time (early 14c.). The notion is of the "spring of the year," when plants begin to rise and trees to bud (as inspring of the leaf, 1520s).

The Middle English noun also was used of sunrise, the waxing of the moon, rising tides, sprouting of the beard or pubic hair, etc.; compare 14c.spring of dai "sunrise,"spring of mone "moonrise." Late Old Englishspring meant "carbuncle, pustule."

As the word for the vernal season it replaced Old Englishlencten (seeLent). Other Germanic languages take words for "fore" or "early" as their roots for the season name (Danishvoraar, Dutchvoorjaar, literally "fore-year;" GermanFrühling, from Middle High Germanvrueje "early").

In 15c. English, the season also wasprime-temps, after Old Frenchprin tans, tamps prim (Modern Frenchprintemps, which replacedprimevère 16c. as the common word for spring), from Latintempus primum, literally "first time, first season."

As an adjective by early 18c., "pertaining to, suitable for, or occurring in spring."

Spring fever is from 1843 as "surge of romantic feelings;" earlier of a type of disease or head-cold prevalent in certain places in spring; in the older sense Old English hadlenctenadle.Spring cleaning in the domestic sense is attested by 1843 (in ancient Persia, the first month, corresponding to March-April, wasAdukanaiša, which apparently means "Irrigation-Canal-Cleaning Month;" Kent, p.167).

The Oriental cuisinespring roll is attested by 1943.Spring chicken "small roasting chicken" (usually 11 to 14 weeks) is recorded from 1780; its transferred sense of "young person" is recorded by 1906. Baseballspring training is attested by 1889; the phrase was used earlier of militia musters, etc.

"a natural fountain as the place of rising of a stream or river, a flow of water rising to the surface of the earth from below," Old Englishspring "spring, source, sprinkling," fromspring (v.) on the notion of the water "bursting forth" from the ground. Rarely used alone in Old English, it appeared more often in compounds, such aswyllspring "wellspring,"espryng "water spring."

The figurative sense of "source or origin" of anything is attested from early 13c. Cognates include Old High Germansprung "source of water," Middle High Germansprinc "leap, jump; source of water."Spring-water is in Old English.

"act of springing or leaping," late 14c., fromspring (v.), as arespring (n.1) andspring (n.2). The elastic wire coil that returns to its shape when stretched is so called from early 15c., originally in clocks and watches. As a device to smooth the ride in carriages, coaches, etc., it is attested from 1660s.