monotone
English
WOTD – 12 September 2007
Etymology
From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/
Audio (UK) (file)
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈmɑː.nə.toʊn/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Adjective
monotone (comparative more monotone, superlative most monotone)
- (of speech or a sound) Having a single unvaried pitch.
- 1940, Asiatic Society (Calcutta, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, India), Journal of the Asiatic Society, page 95:
- The prominence of the syllables is more monotone than in English, the intonation of the latter having a larger variation of stressed and unstressed syllables.
- 1998, Roger W. Shuy, Bureaucratic Language in Government and Business, Georgetown University Press, Research on Telephone vs. In-Person Administrative Hearings, page 76:
- In the formal register, such variation is reduced and the talk has a more monotone, business-like quality.
- 1940, Asiatic Society (Calcutta, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, India), Journal of the Asiatic Society, page 95:
- (mathematics) Being, or having the salient properties of, a monotone function.
- The function is monotone on , while is not.
Derived terms
- pseudomonotone
Translations
having a single pitch
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Noun
monotone (countable and uncountable, plural monotones)
- A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound.
- When Tima felt like her parents were treating her like a servant, she would speak in monotone and act as though she were a robot.
- 1799, John Walker, Elements of Elocution, Cooper and Wilson, page 309:
- It is no very difficult matter to be loud in a high tone of voice; but to be loud and forcible in a low tone, requires great practice and management; this, however, may be facilitated by pronouncing forcibly at firſt in a low monotone; a monotone, though in a low key, and without force, is much more ſonorous and audible than when the voice ſlides up and down at almoſt every word, as it muſt do to be various.
- 1846 October, Alfred B[illings] Street, “A Day’s Hunting about the Mongaup”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XXIX, number 4, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham & Co., […], OCLC 1017756595, page 190:
- There is a water-break formed by a small terrace of rock in mid-stream, and purling with a hollow, delicious monotone—an island of pebbles is above, with here and there smaller ones near the "forks."
- A piece of writing in one strain throughout.
Derived terms
- monotonic
- monotonous
- monotony
Translations
A single tone in speech or sound
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Verb
monotone (third-person singular simple present monotones, present participle monotoning, simple past and past participle monotoned)
- (transitive, intransitive) To speak in a monotone.
Esperanto
Etymology
monotona + -e
Adverb
monotone
- monotonously
- in monotone
French
Etymology
From Late Latin monotonus, from Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mɔ.nɔ.tɔn/
audio (file)
Adjective
monotone (plural monotones)
- monotone
- whose speech is monotone
- boring due to uniformity or lack of variety; monotonous
Further reading
- “monotone”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Adjective
monotone
- inflection of monoton:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Italian
Adjective
monotone
- feminine plural of monotono
Norwegian Bokmål
Adjective
monotone
- definite singular of monoton
- plural of monoton
Norwegian Nynorsk
Adjective
monotone
- definite singular of monoton
- plural of monoton