And hears the Muses in a ring Aye round about Jove's alter sing.
Milton.
6. (Geom.) (a) The plane figure included between the circumferences of
two concentric circles. (b) The solid generated by the revolution of a
circle, or other figure, about an exterior straight line (as an axis)
lying in the same plane as the circle or other figure.
7. (Astron. & Navigation) An instrument, formerly used for taking the
sun's altitude, consisting of a brass ring suspended by a swivel, with
a hole at one side through which a solar ray entering indicated the
altitude on the graduated inner surface opposite.
8. (Bot.) An elastic band partly or wholly encircling the spore cases
of ferns. See Illust. of Sporangium.
9. A clique; an exclusive combination of persons for a selfish purpose,
as to control the market, distribute offices, obtain contracts, etc.
The ruling ring at Constantinople.
E. A. Freeman.
Ring armor, armor composed of rings of metal. See Ring mail, below, and
Chain mail, under Chain. -- Ring blackbird (Zoöl.), the ring ousel. --
Ring canal (Zoöl.), the circular water tube which surrounds the
esophagus of echinoderms. -- Ring dotterel, or Ringed dotterel. (Zoöl.)
See Dotterel, and Illust. of Pressiroster. -- Ring dropper, a sharper
who pretends to have found a ring (dropped by himself), and tries to
induce another to buy it as valuable, it being worthless. -- Ring
fence. See under Fence. -- Ring finger, the third finger of the left
hand, or the next the little finger, on which the ring is placed in
marriage. -- Ring formula (Chem.), a graphic formula in the shape of a
closed ring, as in the case of benzene, pyridine, etc. See Illust.
under Benzene. -- Ring mail, a kind of mail made of small steel rings
sewed upon a garment of leather or of cloth. -- Ring micrometer.
(Astron.) See Circular micrometer, under Micrometer. -- Saturn's rings.
See Saturn. -- Ring ousel. (Zoöl.) See Ousel. -- Ring parrot (Zoöl.),
any one of several species of Old World parrakeets having a red ring
around the neck, especially Palæornis torquatus, common in India, and
P. Alexandri of Java. -- Ring plover. (Zoöl.) (a) The ringed dotterel.
(b) Any one of several small American plovers having a dark ring around
the neck, as the semipalmated plover (Ægialitis semipalmata). -- Ring
snake (Zoöl.), a small harmless American snake (Diadophis punctatus)
having a white ring around the neck. The back is ash-colored, or sage
green, the belly of an orange red. -- Ring stopper. (Naut.) See under
Stopper. -- Ring thrush (Zoöl.), the ring ousel. -- The prize ring, the
ring in which prize fighters contend; prize fighters, collectively. --
The ring. (a) The body of sporting men who bet on horse races. [Eng.]
(b) The prize ring.
Ring, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ringed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Ringing.] 1. To
surround with a ring, or as with a ring; to encircle. "Ring these
fingers." Shak.
2. (Hort.) To make a ring around by cutting away the bark; to girdle;
as, to ring branches or roots.
3. To fit with a ring or with rings, as the fingers, or a swine's
snout.
Ring, v. i. (Falconry) To rise in the air spirally.
Ring"bill` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The ring-necked scaup duck; -- called also
ring-billed blackhead. See Scaup.
Ring"bird` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The reed bunting. It has a collar of white
feathers. Called also ring bunting.
Ring"bolt` (?), n. An eyebolt having a ring through the eye.
Ring"bone` (?), n. (Far.) A morbid growth or deposit of bony matter
between or on the small pastern and the great pastern bones. J. H.
Walsh.
Ring"dove` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A European wild pigeon (Columba palumbus)
having a white crescent on each side of the neck, whence the name.
Called also wood pigeon, and cushat.
Ringed (?), a. 1. Encircled or marked with, or as with, a ring or
rings.
2. Wearning a wedding ring; hence, lawfully wedded. "A ringed wife."
Tennyson.
Ringed seal (Zoöl.), a North Pacific seal (Phoca fœtida) having
ringlike spots on the body. -- Ringed snake (Zoöl.), a harmless
European snake (Tropidonotus natrix) common in England. -- Ringed worm
(Zoöl.), an annelid.
Rin"gent (?), a. [L. ringens, -entis, p. pr. of ringi to open wide the
mouth: cf. F. ringent.] (Bot.) Having the lips widely separated and
gaping like an open mouth; as a ringent bilabiate corolla.
Ring"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, rings; especially, one who
rings chimes on bells.