tocsin
[ tok-sin ]
/ ˈtɒk sɪn /
noun
a signal, especially of alarm, sounded on a bell or bells.
a bell used to sound an alarm.
Nearby words
tocometer, tocopherol, tocopilla, tocqueville, tocqueville, alexis de, tocsin, tod, today, todd, todd's paralysis, toddle
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tocsin
British Dictionary definitions for tocsin
tocsin
/ (ˈtɒksɪn) /
noun
an alarm or warning signal, esp one sounded on a bell
an alarm bell
Word Origin for tocsin
C16: from French, from Old French toquassen, from Old Provençal tocasenh, from tocar to touch + senh bell, from Latin signum
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for tocsin
tocsin
"alarm bell," 1580s, from Middle French toquassen "an alarm bell, the ringing of an alarm bell" (late 14c.), from Old Provençal tocasenh, from tocar "to strike" (from Vulgar Latin *toccare "strike a bell;" see touch) + senh "bell, bell note," from Late Latin signum "bell, ringing of a bell," in Latin "mark, signal." The current English spelling is from 1794, adopted from modern French.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper