The sound a bell makes when it's struck, or when something makes a clear, resonant sound.
From Old English 'hringan,' an onomatopoeia representing the sound itself. The word has meant both the action of making the sound and the sound itself since before 1000 AD, barely changing because it imitates its own acoustic reality.
A ringing bell in a church tower could be heard up to 5 miles away in medieval times—so when people talk about 'ringing in the ears' from a loud noise, they're describing a real phenomenon where sound vibrations linger in your inner ear for hours!
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