tone

tone · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*ten-
2. Proto-Indo-European*tónos
3. Proto-Hellenic*tónos
4. Ancient Greekτόνος (tónos)
5. Latintonus
6. Middle Englishtone
7. English todaytone

From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus.

tone · pronoun²

1. Middle English · inherited fromtone
2. English todaytone

From Middle English tone, ton, toon, from the incorrect division of thet one (“the/that one”). Compare Scots tane in the tane; see also tother.

Words from the same roots