intonate
/ˈɪntəʊneɪt/ verb
Forms intonates intonating intonated
- verb (transitive, intransitive, dated) To intone or recite (words), especially emphatically or in a chanting manner.
- verb (transitive, dated) To say or speak with a certain intonation.
- verb (transitive, dated) To intone or vocalize (musical notes); to sound the tones of the musical scale; to practise the sol-fa.
- verb (obsolete) To thunder or to utter in a sonorous or thunderous voice.
Synonyms
Etymology
First attested in 1795; borrowed from Medieval Latin intonātus, perfect passive participle of intonō (“to vocalize, chant”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (inchoative prefix) + tonus (“pitch, tone”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); doublet of intone. Cognate with French entonner, Italian intonare.
First attested in 1631; borrowed from Latin intonātus, perfect passive participle of intonō (“to thunder forth”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To thunder. [Obs.] Bailey.
- verb To sound the tones of the musical scale; to practice the sol-fa.
- verb To modulate the voice in a musical, sonorous, and measured manner, as in reading the liturgy; to intone.
- verb To utter in a musical or sonorous manner; to chant; as, to intonate the liturgy.
Etymology [L. intonatus, p. p. of intonare to thunder, resound.]
Etymology [See Intone.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “intonate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details