Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A rod or bar forming a step of a ladder.
  • noun A crosspiece between the legs of a chair.
  • noun The spoke in a wheel.
  • noun Nautical One of the spokes or handles on a ship's wheel.
  • noun A level or degree in a hierarchy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Preterit and past participle of ring.
  • Ringed; having a ring through the snout, as a hog.
  • noun A rod or bar; a heavy staff; hence, a cudgel; a club.
  • noun Specifically A round or step of a ladder.
  • noun One of the bars of a windmill-sail.
  • noun A spoke or bar of a wallower or lantern-wheel; a rundle.
  • noun Nautical: One of the projecting handles of a steering-wheel.
  • noun A floor-timber in a ship.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • imp. & p. p. of ring.
  • noun (Shipbuilding) A floor timber in a ship.
  • noun One of the rounds of a ladder.
  • noun One of the stakes of a cart; a spar; a heavy staff.
  • noun (Mach.) One of the radial handles projecting from the rim of a steering wheel; also, one of the pins or trundles of a lantern wheel.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Past participle of ring
  • noun A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.
  • noun A crosspiece between legs of a chair.
  • noun nautical, dated A floor timber in a ship.
  • noun dated One of the stakes of a cart; a spar; a heavy staff.
  • noun engineering, dated One of the radial handles projecting from the rim of a steering wheel.
  • noun engineering, dated One of the pins or trundles of a lantern wheel.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun one of the crosspieces that form the steps of a ladder
  • noun a crosspiece between the legs of a chair

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English hrung.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English hrung.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the verb ring. This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

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Examples

  • To my own "frangine" who has just rung from the airport to say she is back home again after trekking for three weeks in the mountains of Bhutan and is on her way over to tell me of latest adventures, laughingly hinting that this was the hardest trek yet!

    la frangine - French Word-A-Day 2009

  • On the lowest rung is the corrupt souls who find violence acceptable (ALL MALES::: black, latino, Hells Angels, etc).

    Saturday morning rant (story v language) lili 2008

  • On the lowest rung is the corrupt souls who find violence acceptable (ALL MALES::: black, latino, Hells Angels, etc).

    Only The English are British Newmania 2008

  • On the lowest rung is the corrupt souls who find violence acceptable (ALL MALES::: black, latino, Hells Angels, etc).

    Letter Two Newmania 2008

  • The bottom rung is for players aspiring to make the Pro Bowl.

    OT rankings: Modern linemen trail Munoz's lead closely 2008

  • On the lowest rung is the corrupt souls who find violence acceptable (ALL MALES::: black, latino, Hells Angels, etc).

    Your Right Hand Thief 2008

  • Not a huge nerd, but the name rung a bell so I googled it.

    Tim Robbins Cast in Green Lantern | /Film 2010

  • On the lowest rung is the corrupt souls who find violence acceptable (ALL MALES::: black, latino, Hells Angels, etc).

    Your Right Hand Thief 2008

  • I bought a great rug and made them a reading corner with pillows and the sheepskin rung that Lola slept on when she was a baby (she especially loves this corner, and is at this very moment sleeping there).

    Brocki business 2006

  • I bought a great rug and made them a reading corner with pillows and the sheepskin rung that Lola slept on when she was a baby (she especially loves this corner, and is at this very moment sleeping there).

    February 2006 2006

Comments

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  • An irritating word when used in place of rang. I just don't like it. Though it improves drastically when used to describe the bars on a ladder.

    March 11, 2007

  • That's how *my* list wants to see it, anyway--as part of a ladder.

    March 12, 2007