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Entry 16 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

Tone

/(tōn)/ · IPA /toʊn/
01 n. Sound, or the character of a sound, or a sound considered as of this or that character; as, a low, high, loud, grave, acute, sweet, or hars…
  1. 1.
    Sound, or the character of a sound, or a sound considered as of this or that character; as, a low, high, loud, grave, acute, sweet, or harsh tone.
    “[Harmony divine] smooths her charming tones.” — Milton.
    “Tones that with seraph hymns might blend.” — Keble.
  2. 2.
    Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion.(Rhet.)
    “Eager his tone, and ardent were his eyes.” — Dryden.
  3. 3.
    A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm ahd a regular rise and fall of the voice; as, children often read with a tone.
  4. 4.
    A sound considered as to pitch; as, the seven tones of the octave; she has good high tones.(Mus.)
  5. 5.
    That state of a body, or of any of its organs or parts, in which the animal functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.(Med.)
  6. 6.
    Tonicity; as, arterial tone.(Physiol.)
  7. 7.
    State of mind; temper; mood.
    “The strange situation I am in and the melancholy state of public affairs, . . . drag the mind down . . . from a philosophical tone or temper, to the drudgery of private and public business.” — Bolingbroke.
    “Their tone was dissatisfied, almost menacing.” — W. C. Bryant.
  8. 8.
    Tenor; character; spirit; drift; as, the tone of his remarks was commendatory.
  9. 9.
    General or prevailing character or style, as of morals, manners, or sentiment, in reference to a scale of high and low; as, a low tone of morals; a tone of elevated sentiment; a courtly tone of manners.
  10. 10.
    The general effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, together with color in the case of a painting; -- commonly used in a favorable sense; as, this picture has tone.
  11. 11.
    Quality, with respect to attendant feeling; the more or less variable complex of emotion accompanying and characterizing a sensation or a conceptual state; as, feeling tone; color tone.(Physiol.)
  12. 12.
    Color quality proper; -- called also hue. Also, a gradation of color, either a hue, or a tint or shade. Also: hue
    “She was dressed in a soft cloth of a gray tone.” — Sir G. Parker.
  13. 13.
    The condition of normal balance of a healthy plant in its relations to light, heat, and moisture.(Plant Physiol.)
Phrases & compounds
Tone color — see the Note under def. 4, above.
Tone syllable — an accented syllable.
02 v. t. To utter with an affected tone.
imp. & p. p. Toned; p. pr. & vb. n. Toning
  1. 1.
    To utter with an affected tone.
  2. 2.
    To give tone, or a particular tone, to; to tune. See Tune, v. t. See: Tune
  3. 3.
    To bring, as a print, to a certain required shade of color, as by chemical treatment.(Photog.)
    “Its thousand hues toned down harmoniusly.” — C. Kingsley.
    “The best method for the purpose in hand was to employ some one of a character and position suited to get possession of their confidence, and then use it to tone down their religious strictures.” — Palfrey.