surge

 
Pronunciation: /səːdʒ/

noun

  • a sudden powerful forward or upward movement, especially by a crowd or by a natural force such as the tide: flooding caused by tidal surges
  • a sudden large increase, typically a temporary one: the firm predicted a 20% surge in sales
  • a major deployment of military forces to reinforce those already in a particular area.
  • a powerful rush of an emotion or feeling: Sophie felt a surge of anger
  • a sudden marked increase in voltage or current in an electric circuit.

verb

[no object, usually with adverbial]
  • 1(of a crowd or a natural force) move suddenly and powerfully forward or upward: the journalists surged forward
  • increase suddenly and powerfully: shares surged to a record high
  • (of an emotion or feeling) affect someone powerfully and suddenly: indignation surged up within her
  • (of an electric voltage or current) increase suddenly.
  • 2 Nautical (of a rope, chain, or windlass) slip back with a jerk.

Origin:

late 15th century (in the sense 'fountain, stream'): the noun (in early use) from Old French sourgeon; the verb partly from the Old French stem sourge-, based on Latin surgere 'to rise'. Early senses of the verb included 'rise and fall on the waves' and 'swell with great force'