The verb 'spurt' first appeared in English in the 16th century, with its origins shrouded in some mystery. It is likely an expressive, imitative formation, mimicking the sound or sudden action of liquid being forced out of a narrow opening. This onomatopoeic quality connects it to other words like 'spirt' and 'spout', which share a similar sense of sudden ejection. Over time, its meaning expanded metaphorically from a physical jet of liquid to describe any short, intense burst of activity or effort, capturing the same sense of concentrated force released suddenly.

The word 'spurt' is a simplex word of uncertain, possibly onomatopoeic, origin. It is not productively formed from separable morphemes in modern English.