tone
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From French ton, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “I stretch”)
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
tone (plural tones)
- (music) A specific pitch.
- (music) (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.
- (music) (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.
- The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.
- General character, mood, or trend.
- Her rousing speech gave an upbeat tone to the rest of the evening.
- (linguistics) The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.
- (dated) A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.
- Children often read with a tone.
- (literature) The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.
- W. C. Bryant
- Their tone was dissatisfied, almost menacing.
- W. C. Bryant
- (obsolete) State of mind; temper; mood.
- Bolingbroke
- The strange situation I am in and the melancholy state of public affairs, […] drag the mind down […] from a philosophical tone or temper, to the drudgery of private and public business.
- Bolingbroke
- The shade or quality of a colour.
- The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.
- This picture has tone.
- The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ. see also: tonus
- (biology) The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.
- (biology) Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.
Synonyms[edit]
- (an interval of a major second): whole tone
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
- atonal
- tonal
- diatonic
- intonation
- intone
- monotone
- ringtone
- tone-deaf
- tone-deafness
- tonal
- tonality
- tonic
- tonicity
- tune
- toneme
Translations[edit]
specific pitch, quality and duration; a note
interval of a major second
character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice
pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning
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manner in which speech or writing is expressed
shade or quality of a colour
firmness of a muscle or organ
Verb[edit]
tone (third-person singular simple present tones, present participle toning, simple past and past participle toned)
- (transitive) to give a particular tone to
- (transitive) to change the colour of
- (transitive) to make (something) firmer
- (intransitive) to harmonize, especially in colour
- (transitive) To utter with an affected tone.
Synonyms[edit]
- (give a particular tone to):
- (change the colour of): color/colour, dye, paint, tint
- (make firmer): firm, firm up, tone up
- (harmonize): harmonise/harmonize
- (utter with an affected tone):
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
change the colour of
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harmonize, especially in colour
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Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle English tone, ton, toon, from the incorrect division of thet one (“the/that one”). Compare Scots tane in the tane; see also tother.
Pronoun[edit]
tone
- (now dialectal) The one (of two).
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Bk.X, Ch.lxiij:
- So wythin the thirde day, there cam to the cité thes two brethirne: the tone hyght Sir Helyus and the other hyght Helake
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Bk.X, Ch.lxiij:
Statistics[edit]
External links[edit]
- tone in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- tone in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Anagrams[edit]
Danish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
tone c (singular definite tonen, plural indefinite toner)
Inflection[edit]
Inflection of tone
Verb[edit]
tone (imperative ton, infinitive at tone, present tense toner, past tense tonede, past participle har tonet)
Dutch[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
-
Audio (file)
Verb[edit]
tone
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Noun[edit]
tone
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Ancient Greek "tonos", via Latin, and Old Norse tóni
Noun[edit]
tone m (definite singular tonen, indefinite plural toner, definite plural tonene)
- a tone (sound, colour etc.)
References[edit]
- “tone” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Ancient Greek "tonos", via Latin, and Old Norse tóni
Noun[edit]
tone m (definite singular tonen, indefinite plural tonar, definite plural tonane)
- a tone (sound, colour etc.)
References[edit]
- “tone” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Swahili[edit]
Noun[edit]
tone (needs class)
Categories:
- English terms derived from French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Music
- en:Linguistics
- English dated terms
- en:Literature
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Biology
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English pronouns
- English dialectal terms
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish verbs
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch verb forms
- Dutch non-lemma forms
- Latin noun forms
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Latin
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Swahili nouns
