SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a

See also:

• COMMON

common Teut. word, cf. Ger.

See also:

• SPRINGER (Fr. rein)
• SPRINGER, ANTON HEINRICH (1825–1891)

springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)  , primarily the act of springing or leaping . The word is hence applied in various senses: to the season of the year in which plant life begins to bud and shoot; to a source of water springing or welling up from below the surface of the earth and flowing away as a stream or standing in a pool (see WATER SUPPLY) ; or to an elastic or resilient body or contrivance for receiving and imparting mechanical power . The most common form in which springs in this last sense are made is that of a spiral coil of wire or narrow band of steel . There are many uses to which they are put, e.g. for communicating motion, as in a clock or watch (qq.v.), or for relieving concussion, as in the case of carriages (q.v.) .