knell
[ nel ]
/ nɛl /
noun
the sound made by a bell rung slowly, especially for a death or a funeral.
a sound or sign announcing the death of a person or the end, extinction, failure, etc., of something: the knell of parting day.
any mournful sound.
verb (used without object)
to sound, as a bell, especially a funeral bell.
to give forth a mournful, ominous, or warning sound.
verb (used with object)
to proclaim or summon by, or as if by, a bell.
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Origin of knell
before 950; (noun) Middle English knel, Old English cynll; (v.) Middle English knellen, knyllen, Old English cynllan; cognate with Old Norse knylla to beat, strike; akin to Dutch knal bang, knallen to bang, German Knall explosion, knallen to explode
OTHER WORDS FROM knell
un·knelled, adjectiveWords nearby knell
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for knell
British Dictionary definitions for knell
knell
/ (nɛl) /
noun
the sound of a bell rung to announce a death or a funeral
something that precipitates or indicates death or destruction
verb
(intr) to ring a knell
(tr) to proclaim or announce by or as if by a tolling bell
Word Origin for knell
Old English cnyll; related to Middle High German knüllen to strike, Dutch knallen to bang
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with knell
knell
see death knell.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.