A loud alarm or buzzer that makes a sharp, piercing sound to alert people to danger or get their attention.
From Greek 'klazein' (to break/crack), referring to a sharp sound. It was trademarked as 'Klaxon' horn in the early 1900s for car and factory alarms. The brand name became a generic term for any loud alarm.
The klaxon sound was so distinctive that it became the official warning signal for air raids during World War II, and people still associate that particular sound with emergency alerts today!
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