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.
Nearby words
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
Related forms
un·knelled, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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.