tone

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French tun, ton, from Latin tonus tension, tone, from Greek tonos, literally, act of stretching; akin to Greek teinein to stretch — more at thin Date: 14th century 1. vocal or musical sound of a specific quality <

spoke in low tones

> <

masculine tones

>; especially musical sound with respect to timbre and manner of expression 2. a. a sound of definite pitch and vibration b. whole step 3. accent or inflection expressive of a mood or emotion 4. the pitch of a word often used to express differences of meaning 5. a particular pitch or change of pitch constituting an element in the intonation of a phrase or sentence <

high tone

> <

low tone

> <

mid tone

> <

low-rising tone

> <

falling tone

> 6. style or manner of expression in speaking or writing <

seemed wise to adopt a conciliatory tone

> 7. a. (1) color quality or value (2) a tint or shade of color b. the color that appreciably modifies a hue or white or black <

gray walls of greenish tone

> 8. the effect in painting of light and shade together with color 9. a. 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 b. normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli; specifically muscular tonus 10. a. healthy elasticity ; resiliency b. general character, quality, or trend <

a city's upbeat tone

> c. frame of mind ; mood II. verb (toned; toning) Date: 1660 transitive verb 1. intone 2. to give a particular intonation or inflection to 3. a. to impart tone to ; strengthen <

medicine to tone up the system

> b. to soften or reduce in intensity, color, appearance, or sound ; mellow — often used with down c. to change the normal silver image of (as a photographic print) into a colored image intransitive verb 1. to assume a pleasing color quality or tint 2. to blend or harmonize in color