ˈtäksə̇n noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French toquassen, toquesin, from Old Provençal tocasenh, from tocar touch, ring a bell (from — assumed — Vulgar Latin toccare to ring a bell) + senh sign, bell, from Medieval Latin & Latin signum; Medieval Latin, bell, from Late Latin, ringing of a bell, from Latin, mark, sign — more at touch , sign
1. : an alarm bell or the ringing of a bell for the purpose of alarm
2. : an urgent or warning thing or event
these volumes … are both a tocsin and an arsenal — S.K.Padover
has so often thought of early summer as a time for tocsins — Economist
3. : something felt to resemble a warning bell (as in loudness, abruptness, or clarity)
his tocsin voice