Webster's English Dictionary

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tone

1. tone \'to-n\ n [ME, fr. L tonus tension, tone, fr. Gk tonos, lit., act 
   of stretchi]ng; akin to Gk teinein to stretch - more at THIN 1: vocal or 
   musical sound; esp : sound quality  2a: a sound of definite pitch and 
   vibration  2b: 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 int onation of a phrase or sentence {high ~} {low ~} {mid ~} 
   {low-rising ~} {falling ~} 6: style or manner of expression in speaking or 
   writing  7a1: color quality or value  7a2: a tint or shade of color  7b: 
   the color that appreciably modifies a hue or white or black {gray wal ls of 
   greenish ~} 8: the effect in painting of light and shade together with 
   color  9a: the state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in 
   which th e functions are healthy and performed with due vigor 9b: normal 
   tension or responsiveness to stimuli; specif : TONUS)M 10a: healthy 
   elasticity : RESILIENCY  10b: general character, quality, or trend {a 
   city's low moral ~}  10c: frame of mind : MOOD 
2. tone vt 1: INTONE  2: to give a particular intonation or inflection to  
   3a: to impart tone to : STRENGTHEN {medicine to ~ up the s ystem} 3b: to 
   soften in color, appearance, or sound : MELLOW  3c: to change the normal 
   silver image of (as a photographic print) into a  colored image 1: to 
   assume a pleasing color quality or tint  2: to blend or harmonize in color  
   - ton.er n