knell /nɛl/verb 3noun 2forms 3 verb3 •To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.I’ll make thee sick at heart, before I leave thee, And groan, and die indeed, and be worth nothing, Not worth a blessing nor a bell to knell for thee […] — 1647 •To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell.The church bells knelled the peaceful ending of the day, while the purple shades of night descended sadly and majestically on the low chain of neighbouring hills. — 1909 •To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell. noun2 •The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).[…]he is able to pierce a corselet with his eye; talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery. — 1608 •(figurative) A sign of the end or demise of something or someone. formsknelled · knelling · knells
