rung
/ˈɹʌŋ/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Also a form of ring
Forms rungs
- noun A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.
- noun A crosspiece between legs of a chair.
- noun (figurative) A position in a hierarchy. “the lowest rung of the society”
- 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.
- adjective Of a pig: having a ring through the nose.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English rung, from Old English hrung, from Proto-West Germanic *hrungu, from Proto-Germanic *hrungō. Cognate with Dutch rong (“pole, stanchion”), German Runge (“stake, pole, stanchion”), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌰 (hrugga, “a staff”).
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [OE. ronge, AS. hrung, a staff, rod, pole; akin to G. runge a short, thick piece of iron or wood, OD. ronghe a prop, support, Icel. röng a rib in a ship, Goth. Hrugga a staff.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rung”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details