▪ I. sprint, n.1
(sprɪnt)
[f. sprint v.]
1. dial. (See quots.)
| a 1790 Pegge Derbicisms i. 66 A man layd hold of a hare upon her form, and she gave a sprint. a 1800 ― Suppl. Grose, Sprunt, or Sprint, a spring in leaping, and the leap itself. Derb. |
2. A short spell of running, rowing, etc., at full speed.
| 1865– in Lanc. and Derb. glossaries. 1871 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports (ed. 9) ii. vii. i. 539/1 At the commencement of training for sprints. 1887 Field 19 Feb. 247/3 A strong wind..blowing down the straight, greatly interfered with the runners in the sprints. 1903 Times 14 Mar. 14/5 [They had] a few rowing sprints to vary their ordinary exercise work. |
| transf. 1895 Westm. Gaz. 23 Oct. 3/2 It may still seem..that there is too much of a ‘sprint’ in the last act. |
3. attrib. and Comb., as sprint course, sprint race, sprint-racing, etc.; sprint car orig. U.S., a type of racing car (see quot. 1969).
| 1864 Saunders News Letter, Sprint Race between Ford and Rogers. 1867 Waugh Owd Blanket 82 Kempy..was a famous ‘sprint-runner’,..well known all over the country side. 1883 Standard 18 June 2/4 He..may..be dubbed the champion of the equine world over sprint courses. 1885 Longman's Mag. VI. 508 Summoning all my memories of the science of sprint-racing, I tore along. 1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 61/1 Sheffield..may be termed the home of sprint running. 1954 Motorsport June 19/2 Sprint cars were drawing big crowds at the half-mile speedways. 1955 Sun (Baltimore) 14 Apr. (b ed.) 18/7 Drivers for the latest entries are two Speedway veterans..and two rookies from the sprint-car circuit. 1961 [see dragster]. 1969 Britannica Bk. of Year 1968 801/1 Sprint car, a rugged racing automobile that is midway in size between midget racers and ordinary racers, has about the same horsepower as the larger racers, and is usually raced on a dirt track. 1981 Telegraph (Brisbane) 27 Nov. 18/3 The Queensland Bomber and National Sprintcar champion, Bob Kelly also will be having a crack at tonight's title. |
▪ II. sprint, n.2 dial.
[var. of sprent n.2]
1. A springe or snare.
| 1781 Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss., Sprint, a gin for catching birds with. 1892 Fauna 87 (E.D.D.), Used to set scores of sprints when a boy. 1897 Macpherson Hist. Fowling 246 The ‘Sprint’ employed in the north of England for catching Woodcock. |
2. A spring. (Cf. sprent n.2 2 b.)
| 1897 W. Jamie in Bards of Angus & Mearns 235/1 Some queer auld knives wi' double sprint. |
▪ III. sprint, v.
(sprɪnt)
[a. early Scand. *sprinta (ON. and Icel. spretta, Sw. spritta): cf. sprent v.]
† 1. intr. To dart or spring. Obs.—1
| 1566 Is. W. Copy of a Letter, etc. xxix, Thy felowes chance that late such prety shift did make; That he from Fishers hooke did sprint before he could him take. |
2. a. dial. (See quot.)
| 1862 C. C. Robinson Dial. Leeds 418 Sprint, to run on the toes. The sort of running practised in-doors. |
b. To run, row, etc., at full speed, esp. for a short distance; to race in this manner.
| 1871– [implied in sprinting vbl. n.]. 1889 H. O'Reilly 50 Yrs. on Trail 177 By running and walking, or rather sprinting, the whole time. 1897 Scotsman 7 Oct. 7/1 He..sprinted at a good pace to where the observatory pathway commences. |
| transf. 1899 C. Scott Drama of Yesterday I. xvi. 555 If a journalist has trained himself to ‘sprint’, he is naturally employed..on other departments of the paper. |
3. Sc. To sprout or grow. (Cf. sprent v. 1 d.)
| a 1878 Ainslie Land of Burns (1892) 303 Rare plants that beautify the Spring Aft sprint frae roughest spot. |
4. dial. To spirt in small drops. Also trans., to sprinkle.
| 1855– in dial. glossaries (Cumb., Yks., Notts., Linc.). |
Hence ˈsprinting vbl. n.
| 1871 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports (ed. 9) ii. vii. i. 539/1 At Sheffield, the birthplace and nursery of professional sprinting. 1884 Harper's Mag. Jan. 302/2 They would do well to go in for..long-distance running rather than for sprinting. |
Add: [2.] c. With adv. accusative of distance.
| 1901 G. B. Shaw Admirable Bashville ii. 305 But many felt that Byron shewed bad taste In..Sprinting a hundred yards to show the crowd The perfect pink of his condition. 1982 Time 18 Oct. 64/3 When I trained, I wasn't used to sprinting the last two miles. |