Eleanor, we hear, gives us a ring (5)
I believe the answer is:
knell
'a ring' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'eleanor we hear' is the wordplay.
'eleanor' becomes 'nell' (nickname for Eleanor).
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'nell' is a homophone of 'KNELL'.
'gives us' is the link.
(Other definitions for knell that I've seen before include "Solemn warning" , "Solemn sound of a bell" , "Toll, ring" , "(Of bell) ring solemnly" , "''The curfew tolls the ... of parting day'' (Thomas Gray)" .)