Wiktionary

monotone

English

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WOTD – 12 September 2007

Etymology

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From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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monotone (comparative more monotone, superlative most monotone)

  1. (of speech or a sound) Having a single unvaried pitch.
    • 1940, Asiatic Society (Calcutta, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, India), Journal of the Asiatic Society, page 95:
      The prominence of the syllables is more monotone than in English, the intonation of the latter having a larger variation of stressed and unstressed syllables.
    • 1998, Roger W. Shuy, “Bureaucratic Language in Government and Business”, in Research on Telephone vs. In-Person Administrative Hearings, Georgetown University Press, page 76:
      In the formal register, such variation is reduced and the talk has a more monotone, business-like quality.
  2. (mathematics) Being, or having the salient properties of, a monotone function.
    The function   is monotone on  , while   is not.
  3. (printing) Synonym of monochrome.
    Coordinate terms: duotone, tritone, quadtone; multitone

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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monotone (countable and uncountable, plural monotones)

  1. A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound.
    When Tima felt like her parents were treating her like a servant, she would speak in monotone and act as though she were a robot.
    • 1799, John Walker, Elements of Elocution, Cooper and Wilson, page 309:
      It is no very difficult matter to be loud in a high tone of voice; but to be loud and forcible in a low tone, requires great practice and management; this, however, may be facilitated by pronouncing forcibly at firſt in a low monotone; a monotone, though in a low key, and without force, is much more ſonorous and audible than when the voice ſlides up and down at almoſt every word, as it muſt do to be various.
    • 1846 October, Alfred B[illings] Street, “A Day’s Hunting about the Mongaup”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XXIX, number 4, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham & Co., […], →OCLC, page 190:
      There is a water-break formed by a small terrace of rock in mid-stream, and purling with a hollow, delicious monotone—an island of pebbles is above, with here and there smaller ones near the "forks."
  2. A piece of writing in one strain throughout.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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monotone (third-person singular simple present monotones, present participle monotoning, simple past and past participle monotoned)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To speak in a monotone.

Esperanto

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Etymology

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monotona +‎ -e

Adverb

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monotone

  1. monotonously
  2. in monotone

French

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Etymology

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From Late Latin monotonus, from Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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monotone (plural monotones)

  1. monotone
  2. whose speech is monotone
  3. boring due to uniformity or lack of variety; monotonous

Further reading

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German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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monotone

  1. inflection of monoton:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

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Adjective

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monotone

  1. feminine plural of monotono

Norwegian Bokmål

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Adjective

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monotone

  1. definite singular of monoton
  2. plural of monoton

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Adjective

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monotone

  1. definite singular of monoton
  2. plural of monoton
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