Past tense of 'ring', meaning produced a clear resonant sound, as a bell. Also means to have called someone by telephone.
From Old English hringan 'to ring, make a sound'. The strong verb conjugation (ring-rang-rung) follows an ancient Germanic pattern. The telephone sense developed in the late 19th century when early phones literally used bells to signal incoming calls.
The word 'rang' preserves one of English's most ancient verb conjugation patterns, connecting us directly to our Germanic linguistic ancestors. The fact that we still say 'the phone rang' even for silent digital notifications shows how technological metaphors become embedded in language long after their literal basis disappears.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.