Etymology

Two different identifications could potentially account for the form and sense of this apparent hapax legomenon in Pe: (1) Most straightforwardly perhaps, it could be formed from OE ut- + sprent (v.). (2) Alternatively, MED identifies outsprent with its v. sprengen, accounting for the meaning in Pe by adducing influence from springan ‘spring out, gush forth, etc.’.

PGmc Ancestor

(1) *sprant-jan-; (2) *sprang-jan-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

(1) spretta ‘to make spring up, unloose; rip up’
(ONP (1) spretta (2) (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

(1) Far spretta, Icel spretta, Norw spretta, Dan sprætte, Sw sprätta

OE Cognate

(1)?*sprintan; (2) sprengan ‘to scatter, strew, sprinkle’

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

DD1c

Attestation

hapax legomenon; see also sprent (v.)

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Pe 1137

Bibliography

(1) MED sprenten (v.) , OED sprent (v.) , Dance sprent, de Vries spretta (2), Mag. spretta (4), Bj-L sprette, Seebold sprent-a-, Orel *sprantjanan; (2) MED outsprengen (v.)[ http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med-idx?type=id&id=MED31417&egs=all&egdisplay=open], MED sprengen (v.)[ http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med-idx?type=id&id=MED42406&egs=all&egdisplay=open], OED sprenge (v.)[ http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/187681?isAdvanced=true&result=2&rskey=jDNu9p&], EDD sprent (v.1 and sb.2), Orel *spranʒjanan, Kroonen *sprangjan-, AEW sprengan