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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

sprunt en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /spɹʌnt/
  • /spɹʊnt/ (Northern-England)

Etymology

Apparently a variation of sprent or sprint. This term originated as a Victorian-era Scots word in the Roxburgh region.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) Active; lively; vigorous.
    • As for that little sprunt piece of the Brain which they call the Conarion... 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book I, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 35
  2. Steep or sharp in ascent.
    • Ya’ll mannish ti trunn’l yersen t’best hauf o’ t’way, bud efter that ya’ll finnd it a bit sprunt [said to a cyclist]. (You’ll manage to trundle yourself for the better half of the way, but after that, you’ll find it a bit sprunt.) 1896, Wright, Joseph, The English Dialect Dictionary: R-S, page 695:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most sprunt Degree=Sup lexicographic
more sprunt Degree=Cmp lexicographic
splunt alternative lexicographic

Deriveds

spruntly

sprunt en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /spɹʌnt/
  • /spɹʊnt/ (Northern-England)

Etymology

Apparently a variation of sprent or sprint. This term originated as a Victorian-era Scots word in the Roxburgh region.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete) A sudden movement; a leap or jump.
  2. (obsolete) Something bouncy or perky.
  3. A steep road, hill, or incline.
    • “Lang slaunting sprunts,” tall sloping hills or “land-spurs” 1788, Marshall, Rural Economy of Yorkshire, page 695:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
sprunts Number=Plur lexicographic
splunt alternative lexicographic

sprunt en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /spɹʌnt/
  • /spɹʊnt/ (Northern-England)

Etymology

Apparently a variation of sprent or sprint. This term originated as a Victorian-era Scots word in the Roxburgh region.

Meanings

  1. (obsolete, regional) To make quick or convulsive movements; to start, to jump.
    • They acted a Tragedy at Padua when I was there last June 1786 I think: the Actors struggled & bounced, and sprunted as if in Convulsions […]. 1786 August 16, Hester Thrale Piozzi, Thraliana:
  2. (Scotland, archaic, intransitive) To court, flirt, or make romantic advances; esp. after dusk and under the cover of darkness, sometimes among haystacks.
    • A great ploy for the young swankies tae rin a' athort the country at nicht spluntin. 1901, Trotter, R. De B., Galloway Gossip:
    • Sprunt, to run among the stacks after the girls at night. 1825, Jamieson, J., Etymological Dictionary of Scottish Language Suppl.:
    • I’m too forswunke after sprunting all night, I’m getting too old for such mollynogging shenanigans! 2016 July 31, Grandiloquent Word of the Day:
    • To a laft amang some hay; Like others i' the splunting way. 1823, Kennedy, James, Poems and Songs:
  3. (Scotland, archaic, intransitive) To court, flirt, or make romantic advances; esp. after dusk and under the cover of darkness, sometimes among haystacks. ▸ To seek to gain the affections of a person.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
sprunts Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
sprunting Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
sprunted Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
sprunted Tense=Past lexicographic
splunt alternative lexicographic

Deriveds

sprunt up