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toll²

(tōl)

v. tolled, toll·ing, tolls

v.tr.

1. To sound (a large bell) slowly at regular intervals.

2. To announce or summon by tolling.

v.intr.

To sound in slowly repeated single tones.

1. The act of tolling.

2. The sound of a bell being struck.

[Middle English tollen, to ring an alarm, perhaps from tollen, to entice, pull, variant of tillen, from Old English -tyllan.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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