A ring is a small circle of metal or other material that you wear on your finger as jewelry. Rings are commonly used for engagement and wedding ceremonies, as well as being worn as a symbol of a religious vow or promise in many cultures. A ring can also refer to a group of individuals who have made a commitment to each other, or even to an organization. The word ring can also be used to describe the quality of something, such as an argument or statement, that seems familiar. It may have a “ring” of truth, or seem to be true in general. For example, someone may say that “That politician’s claims about low taxation have a ring of truth to them.”
The ancient Egyptians often wore rings, which symbolized eternity since they were circles. These rings were usually adorned with images of Eros or Cupid, the gods of love. The Romans carried on this tradition, and later the Greeks as well. Rings were also worn as a sign of wealth and power. The Egyptian pharaohs often had rings encrusted with precious stones, such as turquoise or gold, and the Greek kings favored diamonds. In the New Testament, a ring is referred to as a galil (compare “galilee,” “circle of the Gentiles”) or a lachash, an amulet. In the Bible, Esther 1:6 and Song of Solomon 5:14 mention a ring placed on a woman’s finger.
Generally, there are many types of rings that can be worn. For example, in a prong setting, small metal “claws” extend up from the band of a ring to hold a single center gemstone in place. A cluster ring places one large gem in the center and then surrounds it with smaller outward facing gemstones on all sides of the ring. A flush setting places the gems sunk into holes along the band of the ring, and the pressure of the ring’s surface holds each stone in place.
A ring can be defined mathematically as any set associated to an abelian group, where addition distributes over multiplication and function composition is decomposed by right (or left) distributivity. The ring of square matrices over a field is an example of this, as are the rings of algebraic integers and the integral closure of the ring of p-adic integers Z displaystyle mathbb Z .
The word ring can be derived from the Latin verb genit, meaning “to join.” As such, the rings of a circle, which are a type of circular chain, are joined together. The name of the astronomical body that contains a ring is the rings of Saturn, which are created by the gravitational attraction between the planet and its moons. In a more modern sense, the word ring can also be used to refer to an organization or group of people who have made a commitment to each other or to themselves. This commitment can be in a variety of ways, such as a business deal or an artistic collaboration.