\Ding"dong` the"o*ry\ (Philol.)
The theory which maintains that the primitive elements of
language are reflex expressions induced by sensory
impressions; that is, as stated by Max M["u]ller, the
creative faculty gave to each general conception as it
thrilled for the first time through the brain a phonetic
expression; -- jocosely so called from the analogy of the
sound of a bell induced by the stroke of the clapper.