klokke

Klokke is a term used in Norwegian and Danish to denote a device that shows time as well as a bell that signals time or events. In everyday usage, klokke refers to various timekeeping devices, including wall clocks, mantel clocks, alarm clocks, and wristwatches. It can also denote bells found in clock towers or in church towers when the sound itself is the focus. The word serves for both concepts in common speech.

Clocks operate by several technologies. Mechanical clocks use gears powered by a mainspring or weights and regulate motion with an escapement. The invention of the pendulum in the 17th century markedly improved accuracy. Quartz clocks, which emerged in the 20th century, rely on electronic oscillation of a quartz crystal and a stepper motor. Digital clocks display time numerically; atomic clocks provide the most precise time standards by measuring microwave transitions in cesium.

Historically, timekeeping evolved from sundials and water clocks to mechanical timepieces in medieval Europe. The spread of accurate clocks supported navigation, science, and daily life. Today, time standardization relies on a hierarchy of time scales, with UTC synchronized to atomic clocks worldwide and disseminated through signals such as radio, GPS, and internet time servers.

Today, klokke remains common in Norwegian and Danish everyday language, covering household clocks, watches, and tower bells. The term thus reflects both the practical device for telling time and the traditional auditory symbol of time in communities.