wring

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English wryngen, wringen, from Old English wringan, from Proto-Germanic *wringaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ-.

See also West Frisian wringe, Low German wringen, Dutch wringen, German ringen (“to wrestle”); also Lithuanian reñgtis (“to bend down”), Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast”), nasalized variant of *werǵʰ- ‘bind, squeeze’. More at worry.

Pronunciation
  • enPR: rĭng, IPA(key): /ɹɪŋ/
    • Audio (US)(file)
  • Homophone: ring
  • Rhymes: -ɪŋ

Verb

wring (third-person singular simple present wrings, present participle wringing, simple past wrung or wrang or (rare) wringed, past participle wrung or (rare) wringed)

  1. To squeeze or twist (something) tightly so that liquid is forced out. See also wring out.
    I didn’t have a towel so I just wrung my hair dry.
  2. To extract (a liquid) from something wet, especially cloth, by squeezing and twisting it.
    Put the berries into a cheesecloth and wring the juice into a bowl.
  3. To obtain (something from or out of someone or something) by force.
    The police said they would wring the truth out of that heinous criminal.
  4. To draw (something from or out of someone); to generate (something) as a response.
    Synonyms: elicit, provoke
  5. To hold (something) tightly and press or twist.
    Synonyms: strangle, throttle
    to wring one's hands (with worry, etc.)
    to wring someone's hand (i.e. shake hands with someone)
    to wring someone's / an animal's neck
  6. To cause pain or distress to (someone / one's heart, soul, etc.).
    Synonyms: torment, torture
  7. To slide two ultraflat surfaces together such that their faces bond.
    • 2010, Mikhail Grishin, Advances in Solid State Lasers: Development and Applications, BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, page 186:
      The uncertainty of wringing effect is 6.9 nm, which can be determined by wringing the same gauge block on the base plate repeatedly. The uncertainty of optical components can be estimated by wave-front errors of each components, λ/10~ ...
    • 2001, Jennifer E. Decker, Nicholas Brown, Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, European Optical Society, Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Lasertechnik, Recent Developments in Traceable Dimensional Measurements: 20-21 June 2001, Munich, Germany, Society of Photo Optical (→ISBN)
      The surface finish of the ceramic platen appears very similar to that of the gauge block by eye . The pack experiment method to evaluate phase correction is valuable in that the differences associated with wringing two different materials and ...
    • 1997, Bulletin of NRLM.
      The number of optical wringing procedures performed for each gauge block was five , and the number of measurements for each wringing procedure was eleven . Figure 10 shows the dispersion of ( EGB + ESUB ) for gauge block GB - 100A ...
    • 1922, Canada. Patent Office, The Canadian Patent Office Record and Register of Copyrights and Trade Marks
      A gauge block provided with a flat surface adapted to have wringing engagement with a similar surface of another block and having uniformly distributed approximately straight scratches extending in all directions. 5. A gauge block provided ...
  8. (intransitive, obsolete) To twist, as if in pain.
    Synonym: writhe
  9. (obsolete) To give an incorrect meaning to (words, teachings, etc.).
    Synonyms: distort, pervert, twist, wrest
    • 1572, John Whitgift, An Answere to a Certen Libel Intituled, An Admonition to the Parliament, London: Humfrey Toy, p. 39,
      Lord how dare these men thus wring the scriptures?
  10. (obsolete) To subject (someone) to extortion; to afflict or oppress in order to enforce compliance.
  11. (nautical) To bend or strain out of its position.
    to wring a mast
Derived terms
Translations
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Noun

wring (plural wrings)

  1. A powerful squeezing or twisting action.
    I grasped his hand and gave it a grateful wring.
    • 1697, John Vanbrugh, The Relapse, London: Samuel Briscoe, Act III, p. 45,
      Lo[ry]. […] I have been in a lamentable fright, Sir, ever since your Conscience had the Impudence to intrude into your Company.
      Y[oung] Fas[hion]. Be at peace; it will come there no more: My Brother has given it a wring by the Nose, and I have kick’d it down Stairs.
    • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 15, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, OCLC 702939134, part III (My Shore Adventure), page 123:
      He was still holding me by the wrist, and at that he gave it quite a wring.
    • 1919, Henry Blake Fuller, Bertram Cope’s Year, Chicago: Ralph Fletcher Seymour, Chapter 6, p. 63,
      I tried not to give his poor hand too much of a wring (another of my bad habits); but he took all I gave and even seemed to hang on for a little more.
  2. (obsolete) Pain or distress.
    • 1637, Robert Monro, Monro His Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment, London, “The first Observation,” p. 3,
      When we have good dayes we slight them, when they are gone, we sinke under the wring of sorrow, for their losse;

References
  • wring in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
  • wring in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Etymology 2

From Middle English wrynge (“press”), from Old English wringe.

Noun

wring (plural wrings)

  1. (archaic) A device for pressing or compressing, especially for cider.
    Synonym: press
    • 1670, John Evelyn, Sylva, or, A discourse of forest-trees […] ‎, London: Jo. Martyn and Ja. Allestry, page 53:
      A Friend of mine having made provision of Apples for Cider, whereof so great a part were found rotten when the time of grind∣ing them came, that they did, as 'twere wash the Room with their Juice, through which they were carried to the Wring.
    • 1753, Hugh Stafford, A treatise on cyder-making, with a catalogue of cyder-apples of character, in Herefordshire and Devonshire. To which is prefixed, A dissertation on cyder and cyder-fruit‎, page 48:
      In order to avoid a great deal of trouble, and to perform the work more effectually, by diveſting the new made Cyder of what pummice and other impurities remain; after straining it through a hair ſieve, on its coming from the Wring, or Preſs, it is neceſſary to be provided with a large open vat, keeve, or clive, which will contain a whole pounding, or making of Cyder […]
    • 1826, The Vintner's, Brewer's, Spirit Merchant's, and Licensed Victualler's Guide‎, London: W. Whetton, page 216:
      Take any quantity of cider that is old, strong, harsh, or of an inferior quality, and add to it the same quantity of cider from the wring, or press; rouse it up well, and fix it in a warm place, or in the sun, which is certainly the best for its progress […]
    • 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, London: James R. Osgood, Volume 2, Phase 3, Chapter 23, p. 32,
      They tossed and turned on their little beds, and the cheese-wring dripped monotonously downstairs.
Derived terms

Dutch

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)

Verb

wring

  1. first-person singular present indicative of wringen
  2. imperative of wringen

Middle English

Verb

wring

  1. Alternative form of wryngen
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