English Reference
noun

earring

n.
US /ˈiɹɪŋ/ UK /ˈiəɹɪŋ/ ear·ring UK spelling earring's, earring's

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    a piece of jewellery that you wear on your ear.

    an ornament worn on the ear, typically attached through a piercing in the lobe.

    Simple

    She bought a beautiful pair of silver earrings to wear to the wedding.

    In context

    The archaeologist discovered a single gold earring among the ruins, suggesting the site had once been a place of significant wealth.

    ear studhoop
  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Technical

    a small mistake in metal sheets where the edges become wavy during shaping.

    a manufacturing defect in which the edges of sheet metal form a wave pattern during the deep drawing process.

    Simple

    The factory had to fix the machine because it was causing earring on the metal cups.

    In context

    Engineers monitored the production line closely to minimize earring, as the uneven edges required costly trimming before the final assembly.

    earing

From Middle English erering, from Old English ēarhring (“ear-ring”), from Proto-West Germanic *auʀahring, equivalent to ear + ring. Cognate with West Frisian earring (“earring”), Dutch oorring (“earring”), German Low German Ohrring (“earring”), German Ohrring (“earring”), Danish ørering (“earring”), Swedish örring (“earring”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin gmw-pro *auʀahring
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Occasional
Updated