Tone

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: tōn, IPA: /təʊn/
• US enPR: tōn, IPA: /toÊŠn/
• Rhymes: -əʊn

From French ton, from Latin tonus ("sound, tone"), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tonos, "strain, tension, pitch"), from τείνω (teinō, "I stretch")

Full definition of tone

Noun

1. (music) A specific pitch.
2. (music) (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.
3. (music) (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.
4. The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.
5. General character, mood, or trend.Her rousing speech gave an upbeat tone to the rest of the evening.
6. (linguistics) The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.
7. (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.
8. (literature) The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.
• W. C. BryantTheir tone was dissatisfied, almost menacing.
9. (obsolete) State of mind; temper; mood.
• BolingbrokeThe 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.
10. The shade or quality of a colour.
11. The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.This picture has tone.
12. The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ. see also: tonus
13. (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.
14. (biology) Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.

Synonyms

• (an interval of a major second): whole tone

Derived terms

• dial tone
• halftone
• muscle tone
• semitone
• tonebar, tone bar
• tone of voice

Related terms

• atonal
• tonal
• diatonic
• intonation
• intone
• monotone
• ringtone
• tone-deaf
• tone-deafness
• tonal
• tonality
• tonic
• tonicity
• tune
• toneme

Verb

1. (transitive) to give a particular tone to
2. (transitive) to change the colour of
3. (transitive) to make (something) firmer
4. (intransitive) to harmonize, especially in colour
5. (transitive) To utter with an affected tone.

Synonyms

• (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

• toned
• tone down
• toner
• tone up
• tony, toney affected tone

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

1. (now dialectal) The one (of two).
• 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book X:So wythin the thirde day, there cam to the cité thes two brethirne: the tone hyght Sir Helyus and the other hyght Helake ....

Anagrams

• Eton
• note