*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rung

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 (

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round. · A crosspiece between legs of a chair. · A position in a hierarchy. · A floor timber in a ship.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rung"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rung"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hrung"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hrung"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hrungu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hrungu"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hrungō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hrungō"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "rong",
        "t": "pole, stanchion"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch rong (“pole, stanchion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Runge",
        "t": "stake, pole, stanchion"
      },
      "expansion": "German Runge (“stake, pole, stanchion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐌷𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌰",
        "t": "a staff"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌰 (hrugga, “a staff”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rung",
      "rung#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hrung",
      "hrung#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hrungu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hrungu"
    ],
    [
      "*hrungō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrungō"
    ],
    [
      "rong",
      "rong#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Runge",
      "Runge#German"
    ],
    [
      "𐌷𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌰",
      "𐌷𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌰#Gothic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "word": "runga",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.",
        "A crosspiece between legs of a chair.",
        "A position in a hierarchy.",
        "A floor timber in a ship."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "dated"
      ],
      "recordId": "a358dca06be45bb1f5271fd0e1138e8a11786f70bdc07f3c5b6656c9f013985b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bf9da0a4fe13deb17dad8a5b228732c178b2abb1119267b963b130c7b0f0aa35",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34071
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Of a pig: having a ring through the nose.

verb

past participle of ring (only in senses related to a bell) · simple past of ring

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "nonlemma",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form."
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of a pig: having a ring through the nose."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "196cd8b8cb44e02a7a7f9b0333870a61b5c4ff635c3eb77747895159c7afaedf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8f51cbcefadb322d8e766ee53d8b5da3b75f1facab75d0303e795ecb58af1e9d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34073
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "past participle of ring (only in senses related to a bell)",
        "simple past of ring"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "f2c14860c9fe1cf64859d9e6bc66ce60d8e1d6edf866b7b91d857dd5e7028461",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dcbb51965e583e638386af11e4c13ba987d58ab185cbb91a1ef18a452139b69d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34072
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rung →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cnVuZw