A merger of two OE verbs, whose dual heritage survives in the past-tense split: 'hung' for objects, 'hanged' for executions.
To suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part dangling free; to attach to a wall or fixture.
From a merger of Old English 'hōn' (strong verb, to hang, be suspended) and Old English 'hangian' (weak verb, to hang, be suspended), reinforced by Old Norse 'hanga' and 'hengja' during the Viking period. All derive from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną (to hang), from PIE root *konk- meaning 'to hang.' The modern word is a grammatical hybrid — two
English has two past tenses for 'hang': 'hung' for objects (she hung the picture) and 'hanged' for executions (the prisoner was hanged). This split exists because two different Old English verbs — strong 'hōn' (past: hēng) and weak 'hangian' (past: hangode) — merged into one, with the legal system preserving the weak form for the grim sense.