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intonation

/ɪntəˈneɪʃən/ noun

Latin root: intonatio Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about intonation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. The rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
  2. Emotive stress used to increase the power of delivery in speech.
  3. A sound made by, or resembling that made by, a musical instrument.

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)