different between wring vs dig

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English wryngen, wringen, from Old English wringan, from Proto-Germanic *wringan? (compare West Frisian wringe, Low German wringen, Dutch wringen, German ringen ‘to wrestle’), from Proto-Indo-European *wren??- (compare Lithuanian reñgtis (“to bend down”), Ancient Greek ????? (rhímpha, “fast”)), nasalized variant of *wer??- ‘bind, squeeze’. More at worry.

Pronunciation

• enPR: r?ng, IPA^(key): /???/
• Homophone: ring
• Rhymes: -??

Verb

wring (third-person singular simple present wrings, present participle wringing, simple past wrung or wrang or (obsolete) wringed, past participle wrung or (obsolete) wringed)

1. To squeeze or twist (something) tightly so that liquid is forced out. See also wring out.
   • 1838, Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, London: Wiley and Putnam, Chapter 13, p. 152,^[1]

     […] we contrived to satisfy the cravings of thirst by suffering the shirts to become saturated, and then wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle into our mouths.

   • 1933, George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz, Chapter 21, p. 154,^[2]

     […] he had sometimes wrung a dirty dishcloth into a customer’s soup before taking it in, just to be revenged upon a member of the bourgeoisie.

   • 1988, Anne Tyler, Breathing Lessons, New York: Knopf, Part 1, Chapter 1, p. 15,^[3]

     “I feel I’ve been wrung through a wringer,” Maggie said.

2. To extract (a liquid) from something wet, especially cloth, by squeezing and twisting it.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Judges 6.38,^[4]

     He rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece.

   • 1748, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random, London: J. Osborn, Volume 1, Chapter 14, p. 107,^[5]

     [He] wrung the urine out of his perriwig, and lifting up a large stone, flung it with such force against the street-door of that house from whence he had been bedewed, that the lock giving way, it flew wide open,

   • 1952, Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road, New York: Arno Press and The New York Times, 1969, Chapter 8, p. 128,^[6]

     Heinz could have wrung enough vinegar out of Cally’s look to run his pickle works.

   • 1989, John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany, New York: William Morrow, Chapter 8, p. 381,^[7]

     […] he was thrilled by the spectacle of wringing his own blood from the sodden gauze pad into the sodden towel.

3. To obtain (something from or out of someone or something) by force.

   The police said they would wring the truth out of that heinous criminal.

   • c. 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3, Act III, Scene 1,^[8]

     No, Harry, Harry, ’tis no land of thine;

     Thy place is fill’d, thy sceptre wrung from thee,

   • 1741, Samuel Richardson, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, London: C. Rivington and J. Osborn, Volume 1, Letter 31, p. 268,^[9]

     Torture should not wring it from me, I assure you.

   • 1910, Emma Goldman, “Prisons: A Social Crime and Failure” in Anarchism and Other Essays, New York: Mother Earth Publishing Association, pp. 129-130,^[10]

     […] the enormous profits thus wrung from convict labor are a constant incentive to the contractors to exact from their unhappy victims tasks altogether beyond their strength […]

   • 1931, Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth, New York: John Day, Chapter 3, p. 35,^[11]

     He took his life from this earth; drop by drop by his sweat he wrung food from it and from the food, silver.

   • 1970, Robertson Davies, Fifth Business, Toronto: Macmillan, Part 6, Chapter 2, p. 278,^[12]

     […] his confidences were not wrung from him against his will but gushed like oil from a well

4. To draw (something from or out of someone); to generate (something) as a response.

   Synonyms: elicit, provoke

   • c. 1598, William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, Act V, Scene 1,^[13]

     Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me!

   • 1846, Charlotte Brontë, “Evening Solace” in Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, London: Smith, Elder, p. 122,^[14]

     And thoughts that once wrung groans of anguish,

     Now cause but some mild tears to flow.
5. To hold (something) tightly and press or twist.

   (Synonyms: strangle, throttle)

   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Leviticus 1.15,^[15]

     The priest shall bring it [a dove] unto the altar, and wring off his head,

   • 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South, London: Chapman & Hall, Volume 1, Chapter 16, p. 195,^[16]

     Margaret could not speak for crying; but she wrung his hand at parting.

   • 1915, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of the Island, Boston: Page, Chapter 40, p. 316,^[17]

     The Haunted Wood was full of the groans of mighty trees wrung in the tempest,

   • 1929, William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury, New York: Vintage, 1956, “April Eighth, 1928,” p. 379,^[18]

     Jason stood, slowly wringing the brim of his hat in his hands.

   • 2008, Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger, London: Atlantic Books, p. 202,^[19]

     […] I had to wring your ears to make you do any work.

6. To cause pain or distress to (someone / one's heart, soul, etc.).

   Synonyms: torment, torture

   • 1622, Francis Bacon, The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seuenth, London: Matthew Lownes and William Barret, p. 37,^[20]

     […] the King began to find where his Shooe did wring him, and that it was his depressing of the House of YORKE, that did ranckle and fester the affections of his People.

   • 1702, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Oxford, 1707, Volume 1, Part 1, Book , p. 60,^[21]

     […] too much griev’d, and wrung by an uneasy and streight Fortune;

   • 1713, Joseph Addison, Cato, a Tragedy, London: J. Tonson, Act 1, Scene 1, p. 3,^[22]

     […] didst thou taste but half the Griefs

     That wring my Soul, thou cou’dst not talk thus coldly.

   • 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case,” p. 135,^[23]

     […] a stringent and profound slumber which not even the nightmares that wrung me could avail to break

   • 1927, Virginia Woolf To the Lighthouse, London: The Hogarth Press, Part 3, section 6, p. 275,^[24]

     And then to want and not to have—to want and want—how that wrung the heart, and wrung it again and again!

7. To slide two ultraflat surfaces together such that their faces bond.
   • 2010, Mikhail Grishin, Advances in Solid State Lasers: Development and Applications, BoD – Books on Demand (?ISBN), page 186:

     The uncertainty of wringing effect is 6.9 nm, which can be determined by wringing the same gauge block on the base plate repeatedly. The uncertainty of optical components can be estimated by wave-front errors of each components, ?/10~ ...

   • 2001, Jennifer E. Decker, Nicholas Brown, Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, European Optical Society, Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Lasertechnik, Recent Developments in Traceable Dimensional Measurements: 20-21 June 2001, Munich, Germany, Society of Photo Optical (?ISBN)

     The surface finish of the ceramic platen appears very similar to that of the gauge block by eye . The pack experiment method to evaluate phase correction is valuable in that the differences associated with wringing two different materials and ...

   • 1997, Bulletin of NRLM.

     The number of optical wringing procedures performed for each gauge block was five , and the number of measurements for each wringing procedure was eleven . Figure 10 shows the dispersion of ( EGB + ESUB ) for gauge block GB - 100A ...

   • 1922, Canada. Patent Office, The Canadian Patent Office Record and Register of Copyrights and Trade Marks

     A gauge block provided with a flat surface adapted to have wringing engagement with a similar surface of another block and having uniformly distributed approximately straight scratches extending in all directions. 5. A gauge block provided ...

8. (intransitive, obsolete) To twist, as if in pain.

   Synonym: writhe

   • c. 1598, William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, Act V, Scene 1,^[25]

     […] ’tis all men’s office to speak patience

     To those that wring under the load of sorrow.

9. (obsolete) To give an incorrect meaning to (words, teachings, etc.).

   Synonyms: distort, pervert, twist, wrest

   • 1572, John Whitgift, An Answere to a Certen Libel Intituled, An Admonition to the Parliament, London: Humfrey Toy, p. 39,^[26]

     Lord how dare these men thus wring the scriptures?

10. (obsolete) To subject (someone) to extortion; to afflict or oppress in order to enforce compliance.
    • c. 1590,, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act V, Scene 1,^[27]

      To wring the widow from her custom’d right,

    • 1630, John Hayward, The Life and Raigne of King Edward the Sixt, London: John Partridge, p. 144,^[28]

      […] the Merchant aduenturers haue beene often wronged and wringed to the quicke,

11. (nautical) To bend or strain out of its position.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

wring (plural wrings)

1. A powerful squeezing or twisting action.

   I grasped his hand and gave it a grateful wring.

   • 1697, John Vanbrugh, The Relapse, London: Samuel Briscoe, Act III, p. 45,^[29]

     Lo[ry]. […] I have been in a lamentable fright, Sir, ever since your Conscience had the Impudence to intrude into your Company.

     Y[oung] Fas[hion]. Be at peace; it will come there no more: My Brother has given it a wring by the Nose, and I have kick’d it down Stairs.

   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London: Cassell, Part 3, Chapter 15, p. 123,^[30]

     He was still holding me by the wrist, and at that he gave it quite a wring.

   • 1919, Henry Blake Fuller, Bertram Cope’s Year, Chicago: Ralph Fletcher Seymour, Chapter 6, p. 63,^[31]

     I tried not to give his poor hand too much of a wring (another of my bad habits); but he took all I gave and even seemed to hang on for a little more.

2. (obsolete) Pain or distress.
   • 1637, Robert Monro, Monro His Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment, London, “The first Observation,” p. 3,^[32]

     When we have good dayes we slight them, when they are gone, we sinke under the wring of sorrow, for their losse;

References

• wring in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• wring in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Etymology 2

From Middle English wrynge (“press”), from Old English wringe.

Noun

wring

1. (archaic) A device for pressing or compressing, especially for cider.

   Synonym: press

   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, London: James R. Osgood, Volume 2, Phase 3, Chapter 23, p. 32,^[36]

     They tossed and turned on their little beds, and the cheese-wring dripped monotonously downstairs.

Derived terms

• cider-wring
• wring-house

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

wring

1. first-person singular present indicative of wringen
2. imperative of wringen

Middle English

Verb

wring

1. Alternative form of wryngen

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English diggen (“to dig”), alteration of Old English d?cian (“to dig a ditch, to mound up earth”) (compare Old English d?cere (“digger”)) from d?c, d?? (“dike, ditch”) from Proto-Germanic *d?kaz, *d?kij? (“pool, puddle”), from Proto-Indo-European *d??g?-, *d?eyg?- (“to stab, dig”). Additionally, Middle English diggen may derive from an unrecorded suffixed variant, *d?cgian. Akin to Danish dige (“to dig, raise a dike”), Swedish dika (“to dig ditches”). Related to Middle French diguer (“to dig”), from Old French dikier, itself a borrowing of the same Germanic root (from Middle Dutch dijc). More at ditch, dike.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??/
• Rhymes: -??

Verb

dig (third-person singular simple present digs, present participle digging, simple past and past participle dug)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like, through rocks, roads, or the like. More generally, to make any similar hole by moving material out of the way.
2. (transitive) To get by digging; to take from the ground; often with up.

3. (mining) To take ore from its bed, in distinction from making excavations in search of ore.
4. (US, slang, dated) To work like a digger; to study ploddingly and laboriously.
   • 1894, Paul Leicester Ford, The Honorable Peter Stirling

     Peter dug at his books all the harder.

5. (figuratively) To investigate, to research, often followed by out or up.
6. To thrust; to poke.
   • 1551, Ralph Robinson (sometimes spelt Raphe Robynson) (translator), Utopia (originally written by Sir Thomas More)

     You should have seen children […] dig and push their mothers under the sides, saying thus to them: Look, mother, how great a lubber doth yet wear pearls.

7. (volleyball) To defend against an attack hit by the opposing team by successfully passing the ball

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

dig (plural digs)

1. An archeological or paleontological investigation, or the site where such an investigation is taking place.

   Synonym: excavation

2. (US, colloquial, dated) A plodding and laborious student.
3. A thrust; a poke.

   Synonym: jab
4. (Britain, dialect, dated) A tool for digging.
5. (volleyball) A defensive pass of the ball that has been attacked by the opposing team.
6. (cricket) An innings.
7. A cutting, sarcastic remark.

   Synonym: jibe
8. (music, slang) A rare or interesting vinyl record bought second-hand.

Translations

See also

• cratedigger
• digs

Etymology 2

From African American Vernacular English; due to lack of writing of slave speech, etymology is difficult to trace, but it has been suggested that it is from Wolof dëgg, dëgga (“to understand, to appreciate”). It has also been suggested that it is from Irish dtuig. Others do not propose a distinct etymology, instead considering this a semantic shift of the existing English term (compare dig in/dig into).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??/
• Rhymes: -??

Verb

dig (third-person singular simple present digs, present participle digging, simple past and past participle dug)

1. (slang) To understand or show interest in.
2. (slang) To appreciate, or like.
   • 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, p. 432]:

     Louie said, "I dig this Theo. I'm gonna learn Swahili and rap with him."

Translations

Etymology 3

Shortening.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?d??/

Noun

dig (uncountable)

1. (medicine, colloquial) Digoxin.

References

Anagrams

• GDI, GDI+, GID, IgD, gid

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??/

Etymology 1

From Dutch dicht, from Middle Dutch dicht, from Old Dutch *th?ht, from Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz.

Adjective

dig (attributive digte, comparative digter, superlative digste)

1. closed, shut
2. dense

Etymology 2

From Dutch dichten, from Middle Dutch dichten, from Latin dict?.

Verb

dig (present dig, present participle digtende, past participle gedig)

1. (intransitive) to compose a poem

Derived terms

• digter
• gedig

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daj/, [?d??j], [d??]
• Rhymes: -aj

Pronoun

dig (nominative du, possessive din)

1. (personal) you (2nd person singular object pronoun)

Usage notes

Also used as a reflexive pronoun with a 2nd person subject

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?i??/

Noun

dig

1. inflection of deug:
   1. accusative/dative singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative dual

Mutation

Romanian

Etymology

From French digue.

Noun

dig n (plural diguri)

1. dike

Declension

Swedish

Alternative forms

• dej (strongly colloquial)

Etymology

From Old Norse þik, from Proto-Germanic *þek, from Proto-Indo-European *te-ge.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d?j/
• Rhymes: -?j

Pronoun

dig

1. you (objective case, singular)

   Jag såg dig aldrig där

   I never saw you there

2. reflexive case of du: compare yourself

   Skulle du vilja lära dig jonglera?

   Would you like to learn how to juggle?

   Skar du dig på kniven?

   Did you cut yourself on the knife?

Usage notes

Note that some verbs have special senses when used reflexively. For example, do not confuse du lär dig att... ("you learn to...") [reflexive] with jag lär dig att... ("I teach you to...") or du lär dig själv att... ("you teach yourself to..."). Here, lär means teach(es) if it is not reflexive, but learn(s) if it is reflexive. Thus, the separate pronoun "dig själv" is needed when object and subject agree, even though the verb should not be used in the reflexive case.

Also note that in the imperative, when there's usually no explicit subject given, the "själv" is dropped.

Declension

See also

• dig själv

Yola

Alternative forms

• digger

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

dig

1. a duck

References

• Jacob Poole (1867) , William Barnes, editor, A glossary, with some pieces of verse, of the old dialect of the English colony in the baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, J. Russell Smith, ?ISBN