Sudden, strong increases or rushes of something, like a wave of water or a burst of emotion or activity.
Surge comes from Old French 'sourge,' from Latin 'surgere' (to rise up). The word originally described ocean waves and then expanded metaphorically to describe any sudden rise or rush.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals constantly reported 'surges'—showing how the word originally for waves became the medical term for rapid increases in patients!
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