Spirt

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To burst forth suddenly in a forceful jet or spray
2. To shoot out abruptly in a thin, rapid stream
3. To eject liquid or other matter in a sudden forceful surge

Etymology: "Spirt" is an archaic spelling of "spurt," and its history runs through a sprouting plant. Its ancestor was Old English "spryttan," meaning "to sprout," which later took the form "sprytten" in Middle English and "spirt" or "sprit" in early modern English. The sense of a sudden gush or burst of liquid came later, as the idea of a shoot pushing out of the ground was transferred to something forcing itself out in a quick, forceful jet. The root behind all of this is an ancient Indo-European form meaning "to strew, sow, or sprinkle," which gave the Germanic languages their notion of scattering and springing forth. The Proto-West Germanic form "*spruttjan" carried that energy into Old English, so the same motion that scatters seed also produces a sudden jet. The word's exact relationship to a closely related English form is uncertain, and its origins may be tied to another earlier entry.

Synonyms: spurt, gush, spray, squirt

Antonyms: trickle, drip