knell
noun
[ nɛl ]
• the sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral.
Similar:
toll,
tolling,
ringing,
chime,
clang,
dong,
peal,
stroke,
resounding,
reverberation,
clangour,
boom,
death knell,
knoll,
tocsin,
knell
verb
• (of a bell) ring solemnly, especially for a death or funeral.
Origin:
Old English cnyll (noun), cnyllan (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch knal (noun), knallen (verb) ‘bang, pop, crack’. The current spelling (dating from the 16th century) is perhaps influenced by bell1.
