keel (n.)
: the lowest and principal timber of a ship; the structural backbone of a vessel
"The ship’s keel was carefully inspected before launching"
From mid-14c., probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse kjölr "keel," Danish kjøl, Swedish köl"), originally separate from the sense of "a strong, clumsy boat" (c. 1200, from Middle Dutch kiel, cognate with Old English ceol_ "ship’s prow"). Figurative use "on an even keel" (1560s) refers to stability
Tags: noun
knell (n.)
: the sound made by a bell rung slowly, often signaling death or disaster
"The mournful knell echoed across the village"
"Death's knell rang through the halls as the plague spread"
From Old English cnyll "sound made by a bell when struck or rung slowly," from knell (v.). Compare Dutch knal, German knall, Danish knald, Swedish knall
knell (v.)
: to toll a bell; to strike or sound slowly
"The church tower knelled for the fallen soldiers"
From Old English cnyllan "to toll a bell, strike, knock," cognate with Middle High German erknellen "to resound," Old Norse knylla "to beat, thrash;" probably imitative. Intransitive sense in reference to a bell is from late 14c.
Related: knelled, knelling
To post a comment you need to login first.