ring

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A circular band of metal or other material worn on the finger.

   She wore a gold ring on her left hand.

2. 2
   noun

   The clear sound made by a bell or telephone.

   I heard the ring of the church bell across the valley.

3. 3
   noun

   A group of people or objects arranged in a circle.

   The children sat in a ring around the storyteller.

4. 4
   noun

   A particular quality that something seems to have.

   Her excuse had the ring of truth to it.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

The noun ring dates from Old English and shares its root with rank; rings were associated with wealth and status in Anglo-Saxon society. The verb meaning “to give out a clear sound” is an unrelated Old English word, probably formed in imitation of the sound itself.

From Middle English ryng, from Old English hring (“ring, circle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krengʰ-, extended nasalized form of *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Doublet of rank and rink, as well as indirectly range. Cognates * West Frisian ring * Low German Ring * Dutch ring * German Ring * Swedish ring * Finnish rengas More distantly cognate with Proto-Slavic *krǫgъ (whence Bulgarian кръг (krǎg), Polish krąg, Russian круг (krug)).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary