atone

See also: at one

English

WOTD – 19 February 2009

Etymology

From atone (“reconciled”), from Middle English atone, attone, atoon (“agreed”, literally “at one”), equivalent to at +‎ one. Compare Latin adūnō (“I unite, make one”) for the similar formation. Regarding the different phonological development of atone and one, see the note in one.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈtəʊn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈtoʊn/, [əˈtʰoʊ̯n]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊn

Verb

atone (third-person singular simple present atones, present participle atoning, simple past and past participle atoned)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make reparation, compensation, amends or satisfaction for an offence, crime, mistake or deficiency. [from 1680s]

   Synonyms: expiate, propitiate

2. (obsolete, transitive) To bring at one or at concordance; to reconcile; to suffer appeasement. [from 1570s]
3. (obsolete, intransitive) To agree or accord; to be in accordance or harmony. [from 1590s]
4. (obsolete, transitive) To unite in making.
5. (proscribed) To absolve (someone else) of wrongdoing, especially by standing as an equivalent.

Derived terms

• atonable
• atoneable
• atonement
• atoner

 

Translations

to make reparation, compensation, or amends, for an offence or a crime

• Arabic: كَفَّرَ عَنْ (kaffara ʕan)
• Armenian: քավել (hy) (kʻavel)
• Bulgarian: изкупвам (bg) (izkupvam)
• Czech: odčinit
• Danish: sone (da), godtgøre
• Dutch: goedmaken (nl), compenseren (nl)
• Finnish: hyvittää (fi), sovittaa (fi)
• French: expier (fr)
• German: wiedergutmachen (de), kompensieren (de), gutmachen (de), Ersatz leisten, büßen (de), sühnen (de), Sühne leisten, Buße tun, Wiedergutmachung leisten
• Hungarian: vezekel (hu), jóvátesz (hu)
• Italian: espiare (it)
• Japanese: 償う (ja) (tsugunau)
• Latin: expiō
• Maori: whakamārie
• Old English: ġebētan
• Polish: odpokutowywać impf, odpokutować (pl) pf, pokutować (pl) impf, zadośćuczynić pf
• Portuguese: redimir (pt)
• Romanian: ispăși (ro)
• Russian: возмеща́ть (ru) impf (vozmeščátʹ), компенси́ровать (ru) impf (kompensírovatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan rèite
• Spanish: expiar (es)
• Swedish: sona (sv), gottgöra (sv)

to clear someone else of wrongdoing

• Armenian: թողություն տալ (tʻoġutʻyun tal)
• Bulgarian: изкупвам (bg) (izkupvam)
• Finnish: hyvittää (fi), sovittaa (fi)
• French: expier (fr)
• Romanian: ispăși (ro)
• Russian: искупа́ть (ru) impf (iskupátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: thoir èirig
• Spanish: expiar (es)
• Swedish: försona (sv), förlåta (sv)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “atone”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “atone”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “atone”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• Eaton, Onate, neato, oaten

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἄτονος (átonos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.tɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

atone (plural atones)

1. expressionless
2. (linguistics) unstressed
3. (linguistics) mute

Further reading

• “atone”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Adjective

atone f pl

1. feminine plural of atono

Anagrams

• Anteo, aneto, etano