earring

Meaning

A piece of jewelry worn on the ear.

Synonyms

earrings

ring

💍

eardrop

ear piercing

stud

nose ring

ear ornament

ear-ornament

drop earring

ring-shaped ornament

earing

earlet

helix

Hyphenated as

ear‧ring

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɪɹɪŋ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: erering

Inherited from Old English: ēarhring

Cognate with Western Frisian: earring

Cognate with Dutch: oorring

Cognate with German: Ohrring

Cognate with Danish: ørering

Cognate with Swedish: örring

In summary

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”).