monotone

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.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/

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• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː.nə.toʊn/

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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 ${\displaystyle f(x):=x^{3}}$ is monotone on ${\displaystyle \mathbb {R} }$, while ${\displaystyle g(x):=x^{2}}$ is not.

3. (printing) Synonym of monochrome.

   Coordinate terms: duotone, tritone, quadtone; multitone

• pseudomonotone

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.

• monotone convergence theorem
• monotonic
• monotonous
• monotony

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

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

monotona +‎ -e

monotone

1. monotonously
2. in monotone

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

• IPA^(key): /mɔ.nɔ.tɔn/

• Audio:

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monotone (plural monotones)

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

• “monotone”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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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

monotone

1. feminine plural of monotono

monotone

1. definite singular of monoton
2. plural of monoton

monotone

1. definite singular of monoton
2. plural of monoton