surge

Etymology

From Middle English surgen, possibly from Middle French sourgir, from Old French surgir (“to rise, ride near the shore, arrive, land”), from Old Catalan surgir, from Latin surgō, contraction of surrigō, subrigō (“lift up, raise, erect; intransitive rise, arise, get up, spring up, grow, etc.”, transitive verb), from sub (“from below; up”) + regō (“to stretch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root *h₃reǵ-; see regent.

noun

1. A sudden transient rush, flood or increase.
   As President Obama turns his attention once again to filling out a cabinet and writing an Inaugural Address, this much is clear: he should not expect to bask in a surge of national unity, or to witness a crowd of millions overrun the Mall just to say they were there. November 7, 2012, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times
   He felt a surge of excitement.
2. The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's forward/backward oscillation.
3. (electricity) A sudden electrical spike or increase of voltage and current.
   A power surge at that generator created a blackout across the whole district.
   When the diesel was being worked full out, the ammeter normally showed about 1,500-1,600 amps, with occasional surges of current at starting or up the steepest gradients to 1,700 or even 1,800 amps. 1959 March, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 132
4. (aviation) A momentary reversal of the airflow through the compressor section of a jet engine due to disruption of the airflow entering the engine's air intake, accompanied by loud banging noises, emission of flame, and temporary loss of thrust.
5. (nautical) The swell or heave of the sea (FM 55-501).
   He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 1901, Bible (American Standard Version), James i. 6
6. (US, naval, often attributive) A deployment in large numbers at short notice.
   surge capacity; surge fleet; surge deployment capabilities
7. (obsolete) A spring; a fountain.
   1523-1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, Froissart's Chronicles all great rivers are gorged and assembled of various surges and springs of water
8. The tapered part of a windlass barrel or a capstan, upon which the cable surges, or slips.

verb

1. (intransitive) To rush, flood, or increase suddenly.
   Toaster sales surged last year.
   Athletes' use of herbal supplements has skyrocketed in the past two decades. At the top of the list of popular herbs are echinacea and ginseng, whereas garlic, St. John's wort, soybean, ephedra and others are also surging in popularity or have been historically prevalent. 2013-03, David S. Senchina, “Athletics and Herbal Supplements”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 134
2. To accelerate forwards, particularly suddenly.
   A ship surges forwards, sways sideways and heaves up.
   Wales began the second half as they ended the first, closing down Montenegro quickly and the pressure told as Bale surged into the box and pulled the ball back for skipper Ramsey, arriving on cue, to double their lead. September 2, 2011, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC
3. (intransitive, aviation, of a jet engine) To experience a momentary reversal of airflow through the compressor section due to disruption of intake airflow.
   Use of maximum reverse thrust at low speeds can cause the engine to surge from ingesting its own exhaust.
4. (transitive, nautical) To slack off a line.