intonation

noun /ˌɪntəˈneɪʃn/
  1. (phonetics) the rise and fall of the voice in speaking, especially as this affects the meaning of what is being said
    • intonation patterns
    • In English, some questions have a rising intonation.
    • Her voice was low with a faint regional intonation.
    • the rising intonation at the end of spoken questions
    • She’s studying intonation patterns in children’s speech.
  2. (music) the quality of playing or singing exactly in tune
    • The violin’s intonation was poor.
Origin: early 17th cent. (originally meaning the opening phrase of a plainsong melody): from medieval Latin intonatio(n-), from intonare, from in- ‘into’ + Latin tonus ‘tone’.

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