KNELL:Oxford Dictionary

Thinkings and poems 1 Minute

knell

See definition in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Line breaks: knell

Pronunciation: /nɛl/

literary

Definition of knell in English:

noun

[IN SINGULAR]

1The sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral.

EXAMPLE SENTENCESSYNONYMS
1.1Used 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

MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCESSYNONYMS

verb

1(Of a bell) ring solemnly, especially for a death or funeral.
1.1[WITH OBJECT] Proclaim (something) by or as if by a knell.

Origin

Old English cnyll (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.

Words that rhyme with knell

Adele, Aix-la-Chapelle, aquarelle, artel, au naturel, bagatelle, béchamel, befell, bell, belle, boatel, Brunel, Cadell, carousel, cartel, cell, Chanel, chanterelle, clientele, Clonmel, compel, Cornell, crime passionnel, dell, demoiselle, dispel, dwell, el, ell, Estelle, excel, expel, farewell, fell, Fidel, fontanelle, foretell, Gabrielle, gazelle, gel, Giselle, hell, hotel, impel, lapel, mademoiselle, maître d’hôtel, Manuel, marcel, matériel, mesdemoiselles, Michel, Michelle, Miguel, misspell, morel, moschatel, Moselle, motel, muscatel, nacelle, Nell, Nobel, Noel, organelle, outsell, Parnell, pell-mell, personnel, propel, quell, quenelle, rappel, Raquel, Ravel, rebel, repel, Rochelle, Sahel, sardelle, sell, shell, show-and-tell, smell, Snell, spell, spinel, swell, tell, undersell, vielle, villanelle, well, yell

Definition of knell in:
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Published by Katherine

Poetry writer and author

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4 thoughts on “KNELL:Oxford Dictionary”

  1. I wonder how often we think we know something but have mis-understood it from the start? I think this can be a real problem in learning science, because so much depends on knowing the basics. I went back to reading some thermodynamics recently, since I’m not quite sure that I really understand the concept of ‘heat’ fully!

    1. Thatis an extremely valuable point,Mike.Thank you.I think we may find it applies to our understanding of other people as well… we think wr know them and fit them into a box.

  2. I guess that, for many people, Gray’s Elegy: “The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day” will spring to mind.

    Interestingly, it gave me the wrong impression of the meaning of ‘knell’. Until now, I had thought it referred to the dying of the day.

    1. I see.,I word you never knew then………….that line is iambic pentameter BTW.I suppose bells were rung a lot in the past like the Angelus.Before clocks?

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