an intonation, pitch, modulation, etc. of the voice that expresses a particular meaning or feeling of the speaker: a tone of contempt
a manner of speaking or writing that shows a certain attitude on the part of the speaker or writer, consisting in choice of words, phrasing, etc.: the friendly tone of her letter
normal resilience or elasticity: rubber that has lost its tone
the prevailing or predominant style, character, spirit, trend, morale, or state of morals of a place or period: the cultured tone of their house
distinctive style; elegance: paintings that lent the room tone
a quality or value of color; tint; shade
any of the slight modifications of a particular color; hue: three tones of green
Linguis.
the relative height of pitch with which a syllable, word, etc. is pronounced
the relative height of pitch that is a phoneme of a language and distinguishes meaning, as in the tone languages
Music
a sound that is distinct and identifiable by its regularity of vibration, or constant pitch (as distinguished from a noise), and that may be put into harmonic relation with other such sounds
the simple or fundamental tone of a musical sound as distinguished from its overtones
any one of the full intervals of a diatonic scale; whole step
any of several recitation melodies used in singing the psalms in plainsong
Painting the effect produced by the combination of light, shade, and color
Physiol.
the condition of an organism, organ, or part with reference to its normal, healthy functioning
the normal tension, or resistance to stretch, of a healthy muscle, independent of that caused by voluntary innervation; tonus