range

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hringaz“ring, circle, curve”
2. Frankish · derived from*hring
3. Old French · derived fromrengier“to range, to rank, to order”
4. Middle English · inherited fromrengen
5. English todayrange

From Middle English rengen, from Old French rengier (“to range, to rank, to order”), from the noun renc, reng, ranc, rang (“a rank, row”), from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring, circle, curve”). Doublet of ring.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. To travel over (an area, etc); to roam, wander.
• 16th–19th c. To exercise the power of something over something else; to cause to submit to, over.
• from 16th c. To bring (something) into a specified position or relationship (especially, of opposition) with something else.