passing-bell
Funeral church sound
A passing-bell is a church bell tolled to announce that someone is dying or has just died.
The slow, solemn ringing traditionally signaled parishioners to pray for the departing soul.
The term appears in literature as a symbol of mortality: Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Now largely historical, though some churches maintain the practice.
Fee for passage
- knellSolemn bell stroke
- death knellOmen of ending
- tollingSlow, solemn bell-ringing
- belltowerStructure housing large chimes
steeple · belfry · campanile · peal · chime · sexton · parish · ringer
Tribute for the dead
- elegyPoem lamenting the departed
- dirgeMournful commemorative music
- threnodyMemorial song of grief
- requiemMass for the deceased
lament · tribute · obituary · epitaph · in memoriam · remembrance · homage · commemoration
Intense sorrow from loss
- bereavementState following loss
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
- condolencesExpressions of grief support
wake · shiva · funeral · cortege · hearse · pallbearer · shroud · coffin
toll
Fee for passage
- knellSolemn bell stroke
- death knellOmen of ending
- tollingSlow, solemn bell-ringing
belltower · steeple · belfry · campanile · peal · chime · sexton · parish · ringer · vespers
eulogy
Tribute for the dead
requiem · lament · tribute · obituary · epitaph · in memoriam · remembrance · homage · commemoration · funeral oration
grief
Intense sorrow from loss
- bereavementState following loss
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
- lamentationPassionate expression of grief
condolences · wake · shiva · funeral · cortege · hearse · pallbearer · shroud · coffin · burial
passing-bellbirth announcement
Notice of newborn's arrival
wedding bells · christening · baptism · fanfare · cradle song
pass, passing, passed, passes, passer, passable, impassable, passage, passenger