Knell
/nɛl/noun
A sound made by a bell, especially when rung slowly for a death or funeral.
Did you know?In medieval English, to 'knell' a bell for the dead was so closely tied to ritual mourning that the sound itself became a symbol of fate, doom, and the end of an era.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*k̑n̥- / *k̑en-
“to make a ringing or striking sound”
Old English
OE
cnellan
“to sound a bell or strike with a sharp ring”
Middle English
ME
knellen
“to ring a bell, especially for the dead”
14th Century
English
knell
“the sound of a bell rung slowly for a death or funeral”
Modern English
English
knell
“a slow, solemn bell sound associated with death or the end of something”
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