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   knell

   /nɛl/

   noun

   • 1. the sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral. Similar tolltollingringingchimeclangdongpealstrokeresoundingreverberationclangourboomdeath knellarchaic:knolltocsin
   • ▪ used in reference to an announcement, event, or sound that warns of the end of something: "emails and text messages are sounding the knell for the written word" Similar endbeginning of the endpresage of the enddeath knelldeath sentencedeath warrantomenevil omenill omenportentwarning

   verb

   • 1. (of a bell) ring solemnly, especially for a death or funeral.
   • ▪ proclaim (something) by or as if by a knell.

   Word Origin Old Englishcnyll (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.

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • K

     5

   • N

     1

   • E

     1

   • L

     1

   • L

     1

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