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knell Hear it!

knell definition

knell (nel)

intransitive verb

  1. to ring in a slow, solemn way; toll
  2. to sound ominously or mournfully

Etymology: ME knyllen & (with echoic vowel change) knellen < OE cnyllan, akin to MHG (er)knellen: prob. echoic

transitive verb

to call or announce by or as by a knell

noun

  1. the sound of a bell, esp. of a bell rung slowly, as at a funeral
  2. an omen of death, failure, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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