tonogenesis

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noun

A process in which a language develops tones.

Opposite
tonoexodus
OriginAncient Greek γένεσῐς (génesĭs) ← Proto-Hellenic *génetis ← Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nountonogenesis (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA process in which a language develops tones.

    Antonyms: tonoexodus

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA process in which a language develops tones.

Opposite
tonoexodus

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ten-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tónos
  3. Proto-Hellenic*tónos
  4. Ancient Greekτόνος (tónos)
  5. Englishtono-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁tis
  8. Proto-Hellenic*génetis
  9. Ancient Greekγένεσῐς (génesĭs)
  10. Englishtonogenesis

From tono- + -genesis; coined by American linguist James Matisoff in 1970 in his paper Glottal dissimilation and the Lahu high-rising tone: A tonogenetic case-study.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish tonogeneza
  • tonogenezaTranslations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

ontogenesis
Cite this entry
APA

tonogenesis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonogenesis

MLA

“tonogenesis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonogenesis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tonogenesis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonogenesis.

Source: tonogenesis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.