knell

WOTD – 17 April 2009    

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /nɛl/, X-SAMPA: /nEl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl
• Homophone: Nell

Verb

knell (third-person singular simple present knells, present participle knelling, simple past and past participle knelled)

1. (intransitive) to ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
2. (transitive) to signal or proclaim something by ringing a bell.

Translations

to ring a bell slowly

• Czech: zvonit (cs)
• Finnish: kumistaa (fi)
• Polish: bić w dzwon (pl), dzwonić (pl)

• Russian: звонить (ru) (zvonítʹ) (на похорона́х)
• Scottish Gaelic: seirm (gd)

to signal or proclaim something by ringing a bell

• Czech: zvonit (cs)
• Finnish: kilistää (fi) (high pitch), kumistaa (fi) (low pitch)

• Polish: bić w dzwon (pl), dzwonić (pl)
• Scottish Gaelic: seirm (gd)

Noun

knell (plural knells)

1. the sound of a bell knelling; a toll.
   • 1750, Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, opening sentence:

     The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,

Derived terms

• death knell

Translations

sound of a bell knelling

• Czech: umíráček (cs) m (for a funeral)
• Finnish: kumina (fi), kilinä (fi), soitto (fi), kellonsoitto (fi)
• Italian: rintocco (it) m

• Polish: podzwonne (pl) n
• Russian: (похоро́нный) звон (ru) (zvon) m
• Scottish Gaelic: beum-cluig (gd) m