TOCSIN \TOCK-sin\ noun
1 : an alarm bell or the ringing of it
*2 : a warning signal
Example sentence:
A coalition of parents was sounding the tocsin for the school music program -- if voters didn't approve a tax increase, the program was sure to be axed.
Did you know?
Although it has occasionally been spelled like its homonym "toxin," "tocsin" has nothing to do with poison. Rather, it is related through French, and ultimately Latin, to the English words "touch" and "signal." "Tocsin" long referred to the ringing of church bells to signal events of importance to local villagers, including dangerous events such as attacks. Its use was eventually broadened to cover anything that signals danger or trouble.
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