the sound made by a bell rung slowly, esp. for a death or a funeral.
2.
a sound or sign announcing the death of a person or the end, extinction, failure, etc., of something: the knell of parting day.
3.
any mournful sound.
–verb (used without object)
4.
to sound, as a bell, esp. a funeral bell.
5.
to give forth a mournful, ominous, or warning sound.
–verb (used with object)
6.
to proclaim or summon by, or as if by, a bell.
Origin: bef. 950; (n.) ME knel, OE cynll; (v.) ME knellen, knyllen, OE cynllan; c. ON knylla to beat, strike; akin to D knal bang, knallen to bang, G Knall explosion, knallen to explode
[nel] 
