'three-ringed' originates from English, specifically combining the numeral 'three' and the noun 'ring' with the adjectival/past-participle suffix '-ed'.

'three-ringed' developed from the compound 'three-ring' used to describe circuses in the late 19th century (when circuses commonly featured three simultaneous performance rings). The element 'ring' itself comes from Old English 'hring'.

Initially it meant 'having three rings' in a literal sense; over time it also came to be used metaphorically for a spectacular or chaotic event.