Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Ring?

\Ring\ (r[i^]ng), v. t. [imp. {Rang} (r[a^]ng) or {Rung} (r[u^]ng); p. p. {Rung}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ringing}.] [AS. hringan; akin to Icel. hringja, Sw. ringa, Dan. ringe, OD. ringhen, ringkelen. [root]19.] 1. To cause to sound, especially by striking, as a metallic body; as, to ring a bell. 2. To make (a sound), as by ringing a bell; to sound. The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums, Hath rung night's yawning peal. --Shak. 3. To repeat often, loudly, or earnestly. {To ring a peal}, to ring a set of changes on a chime of bells. {To ring the changes upon}. See under {Change}. {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. --Tennyson. {To ring the bells backward}, to sound the chimes, reversing the common order; -- formerly done as a signal of alarm or danger. --Sir W. Scott.
\Ring\, v. i. 1. To sound, as a bell or other sonorous body, particularly a metallic one. Now ringen trompes loud and clarion. --Chaucer. Why ring not out the bells? --Shak. 2. To practice making music with bells. --Holder. 3. To sound loud; to resound; to be filled with a ringing or reverberating sound. With sweeter notes each rising temple rung. --Pope. The hall with harp and carol rang. --Tennyson. My ears still ring with noise. --Dryden. 4. To continue to sound or vibrate; to resound. The assertion is still ringing in our ears. --Burke. 5. To be filled with report or talk; as, the whole town rings with his fame.
\Ring\, n. 1. A sound; especially, the sound of vibrating metals; as, the ring of a bell. 2. Any loud sound; the sound of numerous voices; a sound continued, repeated, or reverberated. The ring of acclamations fresh in his ears. --Bacon 3. A chime, or set of bells harmonically tuned. As great and tunable a ring of bells as any in the world. --Fuller.
\Ring\, n. [AS. hring, hrinc; akin to Fries. hring, D. & G. ring, OHG. ring, hring, Icel. hringr, DAn. & SW. ring; cf. Russ. krug'. Cf. {Harangue}, {Rank} a row,{Rink}.] A circle, or a circular line, or anything in the form of a circular line or hoop. 2. Specifically, a circular ornament of gold or other precious material worn on the finger, or attached to the ear, the nose, or some other part of the person; as, a wedding ring. Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring. --Chaucer. The dearest ring in Venice will I give you. --Shak. 3. A circular area in which races are or run or other sports are performed; an arena. Place me, O, place me in the dusty ring, Where youthful charioteers contend for glory. --E. Smith. 4. An inclosed space in which pugilists fight; hence, figuratively, prize fighting. ``The road was an institution, the ring was an institution.'' --Thackeray. 5. A circular group of persons. And hears the Muses in a ring Aye round about Jove's alter sing. --Milton. 6. (Geom.) (a) The plane figure included between the circumferences of two concentric circles. (b) The solid generated by the revolution of a circle, or other figure, about an exterior straight line (as an axis) lying in the same plane as the circle or other figure. 7. (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. 8. (Bot.) An elastic band partly or wholly encircling the spore cases of ferns. See Illust. of {Sporangium}. 9. A clique; an exclusive combination of persons for a selfish purpose, as to control the market, distribute offices, obtain contracts, etc. The ruling ring at Constantinople. --E. A. Freeman. {Ring armor}, armor composed of rings of metal. See {Ring mail}, below, and {Chain mail}, under {Chain}. {Ring blackbird} (Zo["o]l.), the ring ousel. {Ring canal} (Zo["o]l.), the circular water tube which surrounds the esophagus of echinoderms. {Ring dotterel}, or {Ringed dotterel}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Dotterel}, and Illust. of {Pressiroster}. {Ring dropper}, a sharper who pretends to have found a ring (dropped by himself), and tries to induce another to buy it as valuable, it being worthless. {Ring fence}. See under {Fence}. {Ring finger}, the third finger of the left hand, or the next the little finger, on which the ring is placed in marriage. {Ring formula} (Chem.), a graphic formula in the shape of a closed ring, as in the case of benzene, pyridine, etc. See Illust. under {Benzene}. {Ring mail}, a kind of mail made of small steel rings sewed upon a garment of leather or of cloth. {Ring micrometer}. (Astron.) See {Circular micrometer}, under {Micrometer}. {Saturn's rings}. See {Saturn}. {Ring ousel}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Ousel}. {Ring parrot} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of Old World parrakeets having a red ring around the neck, especially {Pal[ae]ornis torquatus}, common in India, and {P. Alexandri} of {Java}. {Ring plover}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The ringed dotterel. (b) Any one of several small American plovers having a dark ring around the neck, as the semipalmated plover ({[AE]gialitis semipalmata}). {Ring snake} (Zo["o]l.), a small harmless American snake ({Diadophis punctatus}) having a white ring around the neck. The back is ash-colored, or sage green, the belly of an orange red. {Ring stopper}. (Naut.) See under {Stopper}. {Ring thrush} (Zo["o]l.), the ring ousel. {The prize ring}, the ring in which prize fighters contend; prize fighters, collectively. {The ring}. (a) The body of sporting men who bet on horse races. [Eng.] (b) The prize ring.
\Ring\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ringed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ringing}.] 1. To surround with a ring, or as with a ring; to encircle. ``Ring these fingers.'' --Shak. 2. (Hort.) To make a ring around by cutting away the bark; to girdle; as, to ring branches or roots. 3. To fit with a ring or with rings, as the fingers, or a swine's snout.
\Ring\, v. i. (Falconry) To rise in the air spirally.