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English word death knell comes from English knell, English death
knell (English)
(figuratively) A sign of the end or demise of something or someone.. The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death). (intransitive) To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.. (transitive) To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell.. (transitive) To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell.
death (English)
(figuratively, esp. followed by of-phrase) A cause of great stress, exhaustion, embarrassment, or another negative condition (for someone).. (often, capitalized) The personification of death as a hooded figure with a scythe; the Grim Reaper.. (the death) The collapse or end of something.. The cessation of life and all associated processes; the end of an organism's existence as an entity [...]
death knell (English)
(idiomatic, by extension) A sign or omen foretelling the death or destruction of something.. The tolling of a bell announcing death.