intone
UK /ɪnˈtəʊn/ · US /ɪnˈtoʊn/ verb
Forms intones intoning intoned
- verb (transitive) To give tone or variety of tone to; to vocalize.
- verb (transitive) To utter with a musical or prolonged note or tone; to speak or recite with singing voice; to chant. “to intone the church service”
- verb (intransitive) To utter a tone; utter a protracted sound.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English entune, entone, from Old French entoner, from Medieval Latin intonō, from in- (inchoative prefix) + tonus (“pitch, tone”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); doublet of intonate. Cognate with French entonner, Italian intonare.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To utter with a musical or prolonged note or tone; to chant; as, to intone the church service.
- verb To utter a prolonged tone or a deep, protracted sound; to speak or recite in a measured, sonorous manner; to intonate. Pope.
Etymology [LL. intonare, intonatum; pref. in- in + L. tonus tone. See Tone and cf. Entune, Intonate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “intone”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details