Link Centre Dictionary

knell

UK/nɛl/ US/nel/ rare
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death or a funeral or the end of something

verb

1.

ring as in announcing death

2.

make (bells) ring, often for the purposes of musical edification

  • “Ring the bells”
  • “My uncle rings every Sunday at the local church”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English knyllen, from Old English cnyllan (“to strike; knock; clap”), from Proto-West Germanic *knuʀlijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuzlijaną (“to beat; push; mash”), from Proto-Indo-European *gen- (“to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up”).

Phrases

  • death knell
  • soul knell

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.