▪ I. surging, vbl. n.
(ˈsɜːrdʒɪŋ)
[f. surge v. + -ing1.]
The action of the verb surge.
1. Rising, swelling, or rolling of great waves; impetuous movement of the sea or any body of water; also transf. and fig. (see surge v. 3 b, c).
| 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. iv. 3 b, Thinges cast vp by the sourging of the Sea. 1594 Blundevil Exerc. vii. xxxi. (1636) 702 Driven by force of contrary Winds, by surging of the Sea, or by overthwart Tides. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. xxii. (1856) 172 The masses..by the surging of the sea have been rubbed as round as pebbles. 1853 Sir H. Douglas Milit. Bridges 257 Surgings of the water, by which waves are thrown over the sides of the vessel. 1883 Law Times 20 Oct. 410/2 The surging up of those Teutonic instincts of freedom. |
2. Naut. The action of suddenly slackening a rope or chain wound round a capstan, etc. Also attrib., as surging-drum.
| 1839 Civil Engin. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 158/1 An Improved Capstan and Winch for Purchasing..Ship's Anchors, without the application of a Messenger, in which there is no Fleeting or Surging. 1886 J. M. Caulfeild Seamanship Notes 4 Seeing enough cable up for surging to the cat. 1902 A. Alcock Nat. Indian Seas 52 The dredge was slowly hauled in, the rope being reeled over a surging-drum attached to the ship's steam-winch. |
3. Electr. The occurrence of surges in a current; also, a surge.
| 1904 E. B. Raymond Alternating Current Engin. ii. 75 On underground cables, where the ratio of l to c is much lower than in overhead wires, the tendency to puncture, due to surging, is much less. 1926 R. W. Hutchinson First Course Wireless vii. 105 The discharge consists, not of a steady flow, but of a number of rapid oscillations or surgings of electricity to and fro. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. XIII. 323/2 Surging in electric circuits corresponds to overshooting. |
4. Mech. An increased action in a valve spring of an internal-combustion engine owing to its natural frequency of oscillation coinciding with the frequency of operation of the valve.
| 1931 H. R. Richard High-Speed Internal-Combustion Engine (ed. 2) viii. 227 Periodic vibrations in the spring itself (‘surging’). 1975 M. J. Nunney Automotive Engine ii. 80 To lessen any tendency towards surging within the operating speed range of the engine, the valve springs are designed to have a high natural frequency of vibration. |
▪ II. ˈsurging, ppl. a.
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
Rising, swelling, rolling, or tossing heavily, as waves.
| 1566 J. Studley tr. Seneca's Agam. [1.] 624 The surging seas. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. v. 38 Fom surging gulf two Monsters streight were brought. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 634 With surging billowes it came rolling and in-rushing amaine. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 19 [One] surging waue aboue the rest, hit our broad-side. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 18 Surging waves against a solid rock. 1793 Burns Behold the Hour i, I'll often greet the surging swell. 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey I. 381 [The boats] are borne down through the surging current. |
b. fig. or in fig. context, of feeling, action, etc.
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 78 Swallowed vppe in surgeinge seas of sorrowe. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Glance ii, Surging griefs. 1834 De Quincey in Tait's Mag. I. 30/2 This moving, surging, billowing, world of ours. 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. li. (Poem) Surging visions of her destiny. |
c. transf. Moving in or as in large waves, undulating heavily or forcibly, heaving (as sound, wind, a crowd, etc.); also, of broadly undulating form, ‘rolling’ (as hills).
| 1603 H. Petowe Eliza's Funeral B j b, My heauie lookes and all my surdging mones. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 928 The surging smoak. Ibid. ix. 499 Rising foulds, that tour'd Fould above fould a surging Maze. 1728–46 Thomson Spring 745 The surging air receives The plumy burden. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. xxix, Hid from view in the surging volumes of darkness. 1847 Emerson Poems, Monadnoc, Where the airy citadel O'erlooks the surging landscape's swell. 1868 Daily News 22 July, The surging, shouting, yelling crowd. 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. iii, The gradual rise of surging woods. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn l, Two days afterwards Rome was in a sea of surging flame. |