wring

Etymology 1

From Middle English wringen, wryngen from Old English wringan (“to wring”), from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze, twist, wring”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ-. cognates * Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast”) * Dutch wringen * Lithuanian reñgtis (“to bend down”) * Middle Low German wringen (Low German wringen) * Old Frisian *wringa (West Frisian wringe) * Old High German rinkan, ringan, ringan (Middle High German ringen, modern German ringen (“to wrestle”))

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.
      I didn’t have a towel so I just wrung my hair dry.
      1. To squeeze water from (an item of wet clothing) by passing through a wringer.
         “I feel I’ve been wrung through a wringer,” Maggie said. 1988, Anne Tyler, chapter 1, in Breathing Lessons (A Borzoi Book), New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, part 1, page 25
   2. (also figurative) Often followed by from or out: to extract (a liquid) from something wet by squeezing, twisting, or otherwise putting pressure on it.
      Put the berries into a cheesecloth and wring the juice into a bowl.
      Heinz could have wrung enough vinegar out of Cally’s look to run his pickle works. 1952, Zora Neale Hurston, “Backstage and the Railroad”, in William Loren Katz, editor, Dust Tracks on a Road (The American Negro: His History and Literature), New York, N.Y.: Arno Press and The New York Times, published 1969, →OCLC, page 128
      […] I thought that he was as pleased by the shock value of what he had to say as he was thrilled by the spectacle of wringing his own blood from the sodden gauze pad into the sodden towel. 1989, John Irving, “The Finger”, in A Prayer for Owen Meany[…], New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, page 381
   3. (also figurative) To hold (someone or something) tightly and press or twist; to wrest.
      to wring someone’s hand (that is, shake hands vigorously with someone)
      to wring the neck of a chicken
      Every chance you got you just stared at yourself in a mirror with open lips, and I had to wring your ears to make you do any work. 2008, Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger, 1st UK edition, London: Atlantic Books, page 262
      1. To clasp and twist (hands) together due to distress, sorrow, etc.
         to wring one’s hands with worry
   4. To bend or strain (something) out of its position; to wrench, to wrest.
      to wring a mast
   5. To contort or screw up (the face or its features).
   6. To twist or wind (something) into coils; to coil.
   7. Of a thing (such as footwear): to pinch or press (a person or part of their body), causing pain.
   8. (archaic or Britain, dialectal, also figurative) To cause (someone or something) physical harm">harm, injury, or pain; specifically, by applying pressure or by twisting; to harm">harm, to hurt, to injure.
   9. (figurative)
      1. To cause (tears) to come out from a person or their eyes.
      2. To cause distress or pain to (a person or their heart, soul, etc.); to distress, to torment.
      3. To obtain (something) from or out of a person or thing by extortion or other force.
         The police said they would wring the truth out of that criminal.
         It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged. 4 March 1865, Abraham Lincoln, The [Second] Inaugural Address of President Abraham Lincoln, Delivered in the National Capitol, March 4th, 1865
         [T]he enormous profits thus wrung from convict labor are a constant incentive to the contractors to exact from their unhappy victims tasks altogether beyond their strength, and to punish them cruelly when their work does not come up to the excessive demands made. 1910, Emma Goldman, “Prisons: A Social Crime and Failure”, in Anarchism and Other Essays, New York, N.Y.: Mother Earth Publishing Association[…], →OCLC, pages 129–130
         [H]is confidences were not wrung from him against his will but gushed like oil from a well, […] 1970, Robertson Davies, “The Soirée of Illusions”, in Fifth Business[…], Toronto, Ont.: Macmillan of Canada, section 2, page 278
      4. To use effort to draw (a response, words, etc.) from or out of someone; to generate (something) as a response.
      5. (obsolete) To afflict or oppress (someone) to enforce compliance; to extort.
      6. (obsolete) To cause (someone) to do something or to think a certain way.
      7. (obsolete) To change (something) into another thing.
      8. (obsolete) To give (teachings, words, etc.) an incorrect meaning; to twist, to wrest.
         Lord, how dare these men thus wring the scriptures? 1572, John Whitgift, “Whether Idolatrous Sacrificers and Mass-mongers may afterward be Ministers of the Gospel. Chap. ii. The First Division.”, in John Ayre, editor, The Works of John Whitgift, D.D.,[…] The First Portion, Containing the Defence of the Answer to the Admonition, against the Reply of Thomas Cartwright: Tractates I–VI, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] University Press [for the Parker Society], published 1851, →OCLC, tract III (Of the Election of Ministers), page 318
      9. (obsolete, reflexive) To put (oneself) in a position by cunning or subtle means; to insinuate.
   10. (materials science) To slide (two ultraflat surfaces) together such that their faces bond.
       For a given set of blocks with lengths in multiples of thousandths the lengths may be so selected as to make it possible, by combining different blocks in wringing contact end to end, to form a series having any desired length, measured in inches and thousandths; […] An adjective use. 9 April 1919, William E. Hoke, Precision Gauge, US Patent 1,472,837 (PDF version), page 1, column 2
       The number of optical wringing procedures performed for each gauge block was five, and the number of measurements for each wringing procedure was eleven. An adjective use. 1997, Bulletin of the National Research Laboratory of Metrology, Tokyo: National Research Laboratory of Metrology, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 278, column 2
       The pack experiment method to evaluate phase correction is valuable in that the differences associated with wringing two different materials and/or surface finishes between the gauge blocks and the platen may be accounted for in the averaging over the pack gauge blocks. 2001, Jennifer E. Decker, Nicholas Brown, Recent Developments in Traceable Dimensional Measurements: 20–21 June 2001, Munich, Germany, Bellingham, Wash.: Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, page 25
       The uncertainty of wringing effect is 6.9 nm, which can be determined by wringing the same gauge block on the base plate repeatedly. 2010, Jonghan Jin, Seung-Woo Kim, “Precision Dimensional Metrology Based on a Femtosecond Pulse Laser”, in Mikhail Grishin, editor, Advances in Solid State Lasers: Development and Applications, Rijeka, Croatia: InTech, page 186
2. (intransitive)
   1. To be engaged in clasping and twisting (especially the hands), or exerting pressure.
      Jesus Christ! Was my folks refined. My mam she wouldn't think-a lettin' us young'uns call a pee pot a pee pot. A chamber's what she called it. […] And by God! Us young'uns had ter call the pee pot a chamber or git our God damn necks wrang. 1946, Elizabeth Metzger Howard, chapter 2, in Before the Sun Goes Down, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, →OCLC, part I (Summer), page 31
   2. To twist the body in or as if in pain; to writhe.
   3. (figurative)
      1. To contend, to struggle; also, to strive, to toil.
      2. To experience distress, pain, punishment, etc.
   4. (mining) Of a lode: to be depleted of ore; to peter or peter out.
   5. (obsolete) To make a way out with difficulty.

Etymology 2

Partly: * from Middle English wring, wringe (“twisting or wringing (of the neck)”), from Middle English wringen, wryngen (verb); and * from the modern English verb. See further at etymology 1.

noun

1. (also figurative) A powerful squeezing or twisting action.
   I grasped his hand and gave it a grateful wring.
2. (dated) Followed by down: the product of wringing, such as cider or wine.
3. (obsolete) A sharp physical pain, especially in the abdomen; also, mental pain or distress.
   When we have good dayes we slight them, when they are gone, we sinke under the wring of sorrow, for their losse; and want teacheth vs the worth of things more truely: and it is a true saying, Blessings appeare not, till they bee vanished. 1637, Robert Monro, “The First Observation”, in Monro his Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment (Called Mac-Keyes Regiment) Levied in August 1626.[…], London: […] William Iones[…], →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-04, page 3

Etymology 3

From Middle English wring, wringe, wrynge (“a press, especially for olives or wine”) [and other forms], from Old English wringe, from wringan (verb): see further at etymology 1.

noun

1. (archaic) A device for compressing or pressing, especially for making cheese, cider from apples, or wine from grapes.
   In order to avoid a great deal of trouble, and to perform the work more effectually, by diveſting the nevv made Cyder of vvhat pummice and other impurities remain; after ſtraining it through a hair ſieve, on its coming from the VVring, or Preſs, it is neceſſary to be provided vvith a large open vat, keeve, or clive, vvhich vvill contain a vvhole pounding, or making of Cyder; or as much as can be preſſed in one day: […] 1753, Hugh Stafford, “Sect[ion] VI. Of Proper Vessels for Receiving the Cyder for Its Fermentation; the Vigilance, Exact Care, and Attention Required in the First Fermentation of Cyder for Making It Sweet, and as Long as It Continues in a Fermenting State.”, in A Treatise on Cyder-making, Founded on Long Practice and Experience; with a Catalogue of Cyder-apples of Character, in Herefordshire and Devonshire.[…], London: […] E[dward] Cave,[…], →OCLC, page 48
   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; […] 1826, “a Practical Man” [pseudonym], “Part IV. Of Cider, Perry, Mead, and Vinegar.”, in The Vintner’s, Brewer’s, Spirit Merchant’s, and Licensed Victualler’s Guide;[…], London: W. Whetton,[…], →OCLC, page 216