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 arcg 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
Spring, n. Etym: [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.
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; 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." red rose of the House of Lancaster. 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.