[rung] past part of ring
[2]rung n [ME, fr. OE hrung crossbar; akin to Goth hrunga staff and perh. to OE hring ring--more at ring] (14c) 1 a: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair b: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
2. Scot: a heavy staff or cudgel
3: a spoke of a wheel
4: a level in a hierarchy "rise a few ~s on the social scale --H. W. Van Loon"