The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word KNELL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
K
N
E
L
L
More clues leading to the result KNELL
- Ken changed two pounds for toll
- Ring Dickensian character put through the ear?
- Solemnly proclaim death of king and his mistress
- This signals the end in recognised lines for wife
- Turn Allen key, squeezing ring
- King with royal mistress? This marks one’s passing
- It’s the end, we hear, that Allen key’s locked up
- Funereal sound a little girl heard
- King meets mistress to give a ring
- Signal of end given by orange-seller, we hear
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "It signifies death" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case it signifies death = knell.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does KNELL mean?
KNELL noun- The sound of a bell knelling; a toll (particularly one signalling a death).
- A sign of the end or demise of something or someone.
- To ring a bell slowly, especially for a funeral; to toll.
- To signal or proclaim something (especially a death) by ringing a bell.
- To summon by, or as if by, ringing a bell.