tocsin

toc·sin

(tŏk′sĭn)

a. An alarm sounded on a bell.

b. A bell used to sound an alarm.

2. A warning; an omen.

[French, alteration of toquassen, from Old French touque-sain, from Old Provençal tocasenh : tocar, to strike (from Vulgar Latin *toccāre) + senh, bell (from Late Latin signum, from Latin, signal; see sign).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tocsin

(ˈtɒksɪn)

1. an alarm or warning signal, esp one sounded on a bell

2. an alarm bell

[C16: from French, from Old French toquassen, from Old Provençal tocasenh, from tocar to touch + senh bell, from Latin signum]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

toc•sin

(ˈtɒk sɪn)

n.

1. a signal, esp. of alarm, sounded on a bell or bells.

2. a bell used to sound an alarm.

[1580–90; < Middle French < Occitan tocasenh literally, (it) strikes (the) bell =toca, 3d singular present of tocar to strike, touch + senh bell, sign]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	tocsin - the sound of an alarm (usually a bell) alarm bell alarum, warning signal, alarm, alert - an automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger
	2.	tocsin - a bell used to sound an alarm warning bell bell - a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

tocsin

noun

A signal that warns of imminent danger:

alarm, alarum, alert, warning.

Translations

hälytyskello

tocsin

[ˈtɒksɪn] N

1. (= alarm) → campana f de alarma, rebato m

2. (fig) → voz f de alarma
to sound the tocsin → dar la voz de alarma, tocar a rebato

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tocsin

n (old) → Alarmglocke f, → Alarm m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

Monsieur Gabelle, chief functionary of the place, became uneasy; went out on his house-top alone, and looked in that direction too; glanced down from behind his chimneys at the darkening faces by the fountain below, and sent word to the sacristan who kept the keys of the church, that there might be need to ring the tocsin by-and-bye.

Help, every one!" The tocsin rang impatiently, but other help (if that were any) there was none.

The illuminated village had seized hold of the tocsin, and, abolishing the lawful ringer, rang for joy.

View in context

Presently the tocsin call of "Clara!" sounded to the world the state of Miss Leeson's purse.

View in context

The sound of drumming and trumpeting came from the Albany Street Barracks, and every church within earshot was hard at work killing sleep with a vehement disorderly tocsin. There was a noise of doors opening, and window after win- dow in the houses opposite flashed from darkness into yellow illumination.

View in context

I was just putting out my light when the telephone rang a furious tocsin in the next room.

View in context

Le son funebre du tocsin ne cesse d'ameuter les cris de revolte dans les arteres dechainees.

La volonte du peuple algerien!

The Tocsin OI-315 CO Monitor by Otis Instruments (top) is available for $169.95 at www.sportys.com.

AN EXHAUST SYSTEM'S STEALTH KILLER: CARBON MONOXIDE

As Alexander Gerschenkron (1957: 33) noted, the vignette of primitive accumulation demands us to believe in "an accumulation of capital continuing over long historical periods--over several centuries--until one day the tocsin of the Industrial Revolution was to summon it to the battlefields of factory construction."

P. T. BAUER AND THE MYTH OF PRIMITIVE ACCUMULATION

(2) Invitamos al lector a considerar otro pasaje que no versa sobre el tema central de los dibujos en el cuerpo y que, quiza, tambien pretenda senalar el uso de Tristes tropicos en la confeccion de Triptico de la infamia, por mas que se trate de un guino velado y no explicito como la frase del capitan Valnot: un recuerdo de Le Moyne de las conversaciones sostenidas con su maestro Philippe Tocsin, quien en algun momento habia sonado con trazar una carta cosmografica que "ilustrara el paso de lo transitorio.

Una sociedad timucua y su estilo: Claude Levi-Strauss en Triptico de la infamia de Pablo Montoya

Mae poer y twrch daear yn cynnwys tocsin neu wenwyn sy'n medru parlysu llyngyr daear, ac felly maen nhw'n medru cadw eu hysglyfaeth tra maen nhw'n dal yn fyw, er mwyn eu bwyta yn nes ymlaen.