Sprang
/spræŋ/noun
Simple past tense of spring, meaning leapt, moved suddenly, or burst forth.
Did you know?Sprang is the old strong-past form of spring, and its family ultimately traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to jump” or “to move quickly,” the same ancient force behind words for sudden motion across Germanic languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sperǵ-
“to move quickly, strew, scatter, or spring forth”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*springaną
“to leap, burst forth, or move suddenly”
Old English
OE
springan
“to leap, burst out, or grow rapidly”
Middle English
ME
springen
“to leap, move suddenly, or issue forth”
Modern English
English
sprang
“past tense of spring; leapt or moved suddenly”