Word – Knell

Knell – Word of the Day

Meaning:

[noun]: a bell’s sound, especially when rung for a funeral or death

History:

This word underwent a lot of alterations and changes. As far as the origin is concerned, it happened back in the 16th century. Initially, an Old English word ‘cynll’ was taken that was combined with ‘cnyllan’, which is a word taken from West German. Together, they formed a Dutch word called ‘knal’ or ‘knallen’ meaning crack, pop, or bang. However, the current spelling is influenced by the English word ‘bell.’

Usage:

1. It sounded like the knell of her hopes.
2. The revolution tolled the death knell of the monarchy.
3. The arrival of huge supermarkets is nothing less than a ringing knell for small shopkeepers.
4. The sudden and unexpected increase in the tax sounded a knell for businesses.
5. By the end of the day, the church’s clock, ringing slowly, seemed like the knell of the day’s death.
6. This word kept repeating in my head again and again like a death knell.
7. He is an amazing player. So, leaving him out of the team this year could be the knell for our winning opportunity.
8. Cancer appeared suddenly and proved to be a death knell of all his dreams to travel around the world.
9. All of the school mourned the death knell of our beloved principal.
10. One wrong mistake led to the death knell of the entire British empire.
11. The refusal from the company rang the death knell of his hopes of getting a job.