Dictionary

intonation en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/

Etymology

From French intonation, from Medieval Latin intonatio, from intonō + -tiō.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
2. (countable, uncountable) Emotive stress used to increase the power of delivery in speech.
   • She well knew the power of intonation, and thought that, in the absence of the curled lip, the contemptuous twitch of the nose, and the supercilious toss of the head, her message might be acceptable for Louisa's sake,... 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 210:
3. (countable, uncountable) A sound made by, or resembling that made by, a musical instrument.
   • but Sir Hugh still exclaimed, —"Louder, old man, far louder!" till at last the minstrel, in obedience to his best and dearest friend, struck the harp with such violence, that not only did the strings break, but even the instrument itself burst asunder with a long melancholy intonation. 1825, Friedrich Heinrich Karl Freiherr de La Motte-Fouqué, The Magic Ring; a Romance, from the German, Etc, page 287:
   • In anxious expectation stood the crowd, When the shrill clarion's intonation loud Gave notice that the challenger drew nigh. 1824, Sir James Bland Burges afterwards Lamb, The Dragon Knight: A Poem in Twelve Cantos, page 77:
   • As when sulphureous fires, within the caves Of earth long pent, with intonation loud Burst through the riven rocks, and far as eye Can reach their furious devastation spread, So sudden, so resistless was the force Of this blasphemer's bold appeal to arms. 1808, Richard Cumberland, The Exodiad: A Poem, page 375:
   • This additional cause of the intonation of thunder, together with the simile with which it is illustrated, is copied from our poet, both by Pliny, Nat. Hist. ii, 431, and Isidorus, Orig. xiii. 1805, Titus Lucretius Carus, The nature of things: a didactic poem:
4. (countable, uncountable) Singing or playing in good tune or otherwise.
   • Her intonation was false.
5. (countable, uncountable) Reciting in a musical prolonged tone; intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice, as of a priest.

Forms

Deriveds

just intonation · intonation unit

Relateds

intone · intonational · intoner · intonationally · intonator · intonable · intonate

Translations (80)

bg интона́ция (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · pl intonacja (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · uk інтона́ція (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · ar تَنْغِيم (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · ru интона́ция (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · tg интонатсия (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · ast entonación (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · el επιτονισμός (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mhr ойсем (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · no tonefall (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · no intonasjon (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Intonation (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · vi ngữ điệu (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · sv intonation (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Tonhöhenfeinabstimmung (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · ja イントネーション (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · ja 語調 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mhr интонаций (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · de Intonation (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · fa آهنگ جمله (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · da intonation (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Tongebung (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · hu intonáció (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · tg оҳанг (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · lv intonācija (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · es entonación (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · sh intonacija (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · pl intonacja (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · cmn 腔調 /腔调 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · pt entonação (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Intonierung (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · fa آهنگ (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · he אינטונציה (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · cs intonace (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · it intonazione (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · es melopeya (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · az intonasiya (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mhr интонаций (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · mhr ойсем (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · sk intonácia (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mk интонација (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · es melopea (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · ca entonació (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · gl entoación (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mhr ойсем (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · ar تَرْتِيل (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Ansatz (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · bg речитатив (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · ja 抑揚 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Satzmelodie (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · uk інтона́ція (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · ko 억양 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · fr intonation (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Sprachmelodie (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · tr tonlama (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · fi sävelkulku (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · ms intonasi (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · nl zinsmelodie (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mhr интонаций (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Intonation (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · cmn 抑揚 /抑扬 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · de Vorsingen der Anfangsworte (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · de Tongebung (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · ko 인토네이션 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · tr entonasyon (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · fi intonaatio (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · sl intonacija (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · nl intonatie (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · vi sự ngâm nga (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · es melopeya (singing or playing in good tune or otherwise) · pl intonacja (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · ar تَجْوِيد (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · be інтана́цыя (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · th ทำนองเสียง (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · fo tónalag (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · mi hā (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · sw kiimbo (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · es melopea (intonating or singing of the opening phrase of a plain-chant, psalm, or canticle by a single voice) · sh интонација (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking) · cmn 語調 /语调 (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking)