knell

[nel]

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.

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 formsun·knelled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for knelling

sound, bell, signal, summon, warning, toll, ring, proclaim

Examples from the Web for knelling

Historical Examples of knelling

Faintly out of the frosty air was wafted the knelling of midnight.
Memoirs of a Midget
Walter de la Mare
If he were sighted from above, what should stay those bells from knelling for him.
The Unknown Sea
Clemence Housman
"You are forty-two, you are old, you are nobody," was knelling through her brain.
The Bell in the Fog and Other Stories
Gertrude Atherton
Her lover, hearing the knelling and chanting, puts himself in the way and bids the bearers stop.
The English and Scottish popular ballads (Volume II of 5)
Various
These are mournful, but somewhat hopeful strains; for one who feels that "time has long been knelling, sad one, depart!"
The Genius of Scotland
Robert Turnbull

British Dictionary definitions for knelling

knell

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for knelling

knell

Old English cnyll "sound made by a bell when struck or rung slowly," perhaps of imitative origin. The Welsh cnull "death-bell" appears to be a borrowing from English. For vowel evolution, see bury.

knell

Old English cnyllan "to toll a bell; strike, knock," cognate with Middle High German erknellen "to resound," Old Norse knylla "to beat, thrash;" probably imitative. Related: Knelled; knelling.

Idioms and Phrases with knelling

knell

see death knell.