[ nɛl ]
literary
■ noun the sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral.
↘something regarded as a warning of disaster.
■ verb (of a bell) ring solemnly.
↘proclaim by or as if by a ~.
Origin
OE cnyll (n.), cnyllan (v.), of W. Gmc origin; the spelling is perh. influenced by bell 1 .