Small dents or marks in a surface, usually on metal or cars; also the plural of a ringing sound.
From Old English 'dyngan,' related to Old Norse 'dengja,' meaning to strike or hit. A 'ding' is a small strike that leaves a mark, onomatopoetically resembling the sound.
The word 'ding' perfectly captures the sound and the damage simultaneously—the ringing sound of impact and the resulting dent are one concept in English. That's why car damage is described with the same word as the sound of a bell.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.