Tocsin
/ˈtɒk.sɪn/noun
An alarm bell or warning signal, especially one used to summon people to danger.
Did you know?Tocsin entered English from French, where it was originally a phrase for the striking of a bell, and it became the perfect word for public panic, rebellion, and emergency.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tag-
“to touch, handle”
Latin
Latin
tangere
“to touch”
Old French
Old French
tocquer
“to strike, knock”
Old French
Old French
tocsin
“alarm bell; the striking of a bell”
18th Century
English
tocsin
“an alarm bell or warning signal”
Modern English
English
tocsin
“a warning signal or alarm”