intonation
noun
[ ɪntəˈneɪʃ(ə)n ]
• the rise and fall of the voice in speaking.
• "she spoke English with a German intonation"
Similar:
inflection,
pitch,
tone,
timbre,
cadence,
cadency,
lilt,
rise and fall,
modulation,
speech pattern,
accentuation,
emphasis,
stress,
accent,
brogue,
• accuracy of pitch in playing or singing, or on a stringed instrument such as a guitar.
• "poor woodwind intonation at the opening"
• the opening phrase of a plainsong melody.
Origin:
early 17th century (in intonation (sense 3)): from medieval Latin intonatio(n- ), from intonare (see intone).
