TOLL


Meaning of TOLL in English

~ 1 [ təʊl ]

■ noun

1》 a charge payable to use a bridge or road.

↘ N. Amer. a charge for a long-distance telephone call.

2》 the number of deaths or casualties arising from an accident, disaster, etc.

3》 an adverse effect.

■ verb [usu. as noun ~ing ] charge a ~ for the use of (a bridge or road).

Phrases

take its ~ (or take a heavy ~ ) have an adverse effect.

Origin

OE, from med. L. toloneum , alt. of late L. teloneum , from Gk telōnion '~ house', from telos 'tax'.

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~ 2 [ təʊl ]

■ verb (with reference to a bell) sound or cause to sound with a slow, uniform succession of strokes.

↘(of a bell) announce (the time, a service, or a person's death) in this way.

■ noun a single ring of a bell.

Origin

ME: prob. a special use of dialect ~ 'drag, pull'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.