Ring | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Ring, n.

noun

n. [A-S. hring, hrinc, Fries. hring, D. ring, or kring, Icel. hringr, O. H. Ger. hring, N. H. Ger., Dan., & Sw. ring, Prov. Ger. krink, kring, kringel, a circle; Sw. kring, about, around.]

Sense 1. A circle, or a circular line, or any thing in the form of a circular line or hoop.

Sense 2. Specifically, a circular ornament of gold or other precious material, worn or hung upon the finger, the ear, or some other part of the body: as, a wedding-ring.

The dearest ring in Venice I will give. Shak.

Sense 3. A circular area in which a race is run, or sports are performed. “The road was an institution, the ring was an institution.” Thackeray.

Place me, O, place me in the dusty ring, Where youthful charioteers contend for glory. Smith.

Sense 4. A circular group of persons.

And hears the Muses in a ring, Aye round about Jove’s altar sing. Milton.

Sense 5. (Geom.) The plane figure included between the circumferences of two concentric circles; the solid generated by the revolution of a circle, or other figure, about a straight line exterior to it and lying in its plane, as an axis.

Sense 6. (Astron. & Navigation.) An instrument formerly used for taking the sun’s altitude, consisting of a brass ring suspended by a swivel, with a hole at one side, through which a solar ray entering indicated the altitude on the graduated inner surface opposite.

Ring-dropper, a person who drops a ring or other article apparently of some value, but really worthless, and who defrauds the finder by claiming a portion of the value, and receiving his share in money. [Eng.] Dickens.—Ring micrometer. (Astron.) See MICROMETER.—Saturn’s rings, two or more broad, flat, thin rings, lying in the same plane, and surrounding the planet Saturn concentrically at a distance from its surface of from seven or eight thousand to forty-nine thousand miles.

Ring, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. RINGED; p. pr. & vb. n. RINGING.]

To surround with a ring, or as with a ring; to encircle. Shak.
(Hort.) To cut out a ring of, as bark; as, to ring branches or roots.
To fit with rings, as the fingers, or as a swine’s snout.

Ring these fingers with thy household worms. Shak.

Ring, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. RANG, or RUNG; p. p. RUNG; p. pr. & vb. n. RINGING.] [A-S. hringan, Icel. hringia, Sw. ringa, Dan. ringe, O. D. ringhen, ringkelen.]

Sense 1. To cause to sound, especially by striking, as a metallic body; as, to ring a bell.

Sense 2. To produce by ringing, as a sound or peal.

The shardborne beetle, with his drowsy hums, Hath rung night's yawning peal. Shak.

Sense 3. To repeat often, loudly, or earnestly. “Ringing eternal changes upon atheism, cannibalism, and apostasy.” Sydney Smith.

To ring in or out, to usher, attend on, or celebrate, by the ringing of bells; as, to ring out the old year and ring in the new.—To ring the bells backward, to sound the chimes, reversing the common order;—formerly done as a public signal of alarm or danger. W. Scott.

Ring, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. 1. To sound, as a bell, or other sonorous body, particularly a metallic one. Why ring not out the bells? Shak.

To practice the art of making music with bells. Holder.
To sound; to resound.

With sweeter notes each rising temple rung. Pope. 4. To continue to sound or vibrate; to resound. “The assertion is still ringing in our ears.” Burke. My ears shall ring with noise. Dryden. 5. To be filled with report or talk; as, the whole town rings with his fame.

Ring, n.

noun

n. [From the verb.] 1. A sound; especially, the sound of metals; as, the ring of a bell.

Any loud sound, or the sounds of numerous voices; or sound continued, repeated, or reverberated. “The ring of acclamations fresh in his ears.” Bacon.
A chime, or set of bells harmonically tuned.

He meant to hang as great and tunable a ring of bells as any in the world. Fuller.