accent
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ac·cent
(ăk′sĕnt′)n.
1. The relative prominence of a particular syllable of a word by greater intensity or by variation or modulation of pitch or tone.
2. Vocal prominence or emphasis given to a particular syllable, word, or phrase.
3. A characteristic pronunciation, especially:
a. One determined by the regional or social background of the speaker.
b. One determined by the phonetic habits of the speaker's native language carried over to his or her use of another language.
4. A mark or symbol used in the printing and writing of certain languages to indicate the vocal quality to be given to a particular letter: an acute accent.
5. A mark or symbol used in printing and writing to indicate the stressed syllables of a spoken word.
6. Rhythmically significant stress in a line of verse.
7. Music
a. Emphasis or prominence given to a note or chord, as by an increase in volume or extended duration.
b. A mark representing this.
8. Mathematics
a. A mark used as a superscript to distinguish among variables represented by the same symbol.
b. A mark used as a superscript to indicate the first derivative of a variable.
9. A mark or one of several marks used as a superscript to indicate a unit, such as feet (′) and inches (") in linear measurement.
10.
a. A distinctive feature or quality, such as a feature that accentuates, contrasts with, or complements a decorative style.
b. Something that accentuates or contrasts something else, as a touch of color that makes the features of an image stand out.
11. Particular importance or interest; emphasis: The accent is on comfort. See Synonyms at emphasis.
tr.v. (ăk′sĕnt′, ăk-sĕnt′) ac·cent·ed, ac·cent·ing, ac·cents
1. To stress or emphasize the pronunciation of: accented the first syllable in "debacle."
2. To mark with a printed accent.
3. To focus attention on; accentuate: a program that accents leadership development.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin accentus, accentuation : ad-, ad- + cantus, song (from canere, to sing; see kan- in Indo-European roots).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
accent
n
1. (Phonetics & Phonology) the characteristic mode of pronunciation of a person or group, esp one that betrays social or geographical origin
2. (Phonetics & Phonology) the relative prominence of a spoken or sung syllable, esp with regard to stress or pitch. Compare pitch128, stress3
3. (Linguistics) a mark (such as ˈ, ˌ, ´ or `) used in writing to indicate the stress or prominence of a syllable. Such a mark may also be used to indicate that a written syllable is to be pronounced, esp when such pronunciation is not usual, as in turnèd
4. (Linguistics) any of various marks or symbols conventionally used in writing certain languages to indicate the quality of a vowel, or for some other purpose, such as differentiation of homographs. See acute10, grave25, circumflex
5. (Phonetics & Phonology) (in some languages, such as Chinese) any of the tones that have phonemic value in distinguishing one word from another. Compare tone7
6. (Linguistics) rhythmic stress in verse or prose
7. (Classical Music) music
a. stress placed on certain notes in a piece of music, indicated by a symbol printed over the note concerned
b. the rhythmic pulse of a piece or passage, usually represented as the stress on the first beat of each bar. See also syncopation
8. (Mathematics) maths either of two superscript symbols indicating a specific unit, such as feet (′), inches (″), minutes of arc (′), or seconds of arc (″)
9. a distinctive characteristic of anything, such as taste, pattern, style, etc
10. particular attention or emphasis: an accent on learning.
11. a strongly contrasting detail: a blue rug with red accents.
vb (tr)
12. to mark with an accent in writing, speech, music, etc
13. to lay particular emphasis or stress on
[C14: via Old French from Latin accentus, from ad- to + cantus chant, song. The Latin is a rendering of Greek prosōidia a song sung to music, the tone of a syllable]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ac•cent
(n. ˈæk sɛnt; v. also ækˈsɛnt)n.
1. prominence of a syllable in terms of differential loudness, pitch, length, or a combination of these.
2. degree of prominence of a syllable within a word or of a word within a phrase: primary accent; secondary accent.
3. a mark indicating stress (as ′ or `), vowel quality (as French grave `, acute ´, circumflex ^), pitch, distinction in meaning, or that an ordinarily silent vowel is to be pronounced.
4. regularly recurring stress in verse.
5. a mode of pronunciation characteristic of or distinctive to the speech of a particular person, group, or locality: a southern accent.
6. such a mode of pronunciation recognized as being of foreign origin: She still speaks with an accent.
7.
a. a stress or emphasis given to certain musical notes.
b. a mark indicating this.
c. stress or emphasis regularly recurring as a feature of rhythm.
8. Often, accents. the tones, inflections, choice of words, etc., that identify a particular individual or express a particular emotion.
9. special attention or emphasis: an accent on accuracy.
10. a contrasting detail.
11. a distinctive quality or feature.
12.
a. a symbol used to distinguish similar mathematical quantities that differ in value, as in b~, b〃, b‴ (called b prime, b second or b double prime, b third or b triple prime, respectively).
b. a symbol used to indicate a particular unit of measure, as feet (~) or inches (〃), minutes (~) or seconds (〃).
c. a symbol used to indicate the order of a derivative of a function in calculus, as f~ (called f prime) is the first derivative of a function f.
13. accents, words; language; speech: He spoke in accents bold.
v.t. 14. to pronounce with prominence (a syllable within a word or a word within a phrase): Accent the first syllable.
15. to mark with a written accent or accents.
16. to give emphasis or prominence to; accentuate.
ac′cent•less, adj.
ac•cen′tu•a•ble, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
accent
Past participle: accented
Gerund: accenting
| Imperative |
|---|
| accent |
| accent |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  accent - distinctive manner of oral expression; "he couldn't suppress his contemptuous accent"; "she had a very clear speech pattern"pronunciation - the manner in which someone utters a word; "they are always correcting my pronunciation" drawl - a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels |
| 2. |  accent - special importance or significance; "the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis"; "the room was decorated in shades of grey with distinctive red accents"grandness, importance - a prominent status; "a person of importance" | |
| 3. |  accent - the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people; "the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English"; "he has a strong German accent"; "it has been said that a language is a dialect with an army and navy"non-standard speech - speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community eye dialect - the use of misspellings to identify a colloquial or uneducated speaker patois - a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard | |
| 4. |  accent - the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); "he put the stress on the wrong syllable"prosody, inflection - the patterns of stress and intonation in a language accentuation - the use or application of an accent; the relative prominence of syllables in a phrase or utterance pitch accent, tonic accent - emphasis that results from pitch rather than loudness word accent, word stress - the distribution of stresses within a polysyllabic word sentence stress - the distribution of stresses within a sentence | |
| 5. |  accent - a diacritical mark used to indicate stress or placed above a vowel to indicate a special pronunciationlanguage, linguistic communication - a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols; "he taught foreign languages"; "the language introduced is standard throughout the text"; "the speed with which a program can be executed depends on the language in which it is written" diacritic, diacritical mark - a mark added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation stress mark - a mark indicating the stress on a syllable grave accent, grave - a mark (`) placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation | |
| Verb | 1. |  accent - to stress, single out as important; "Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet"background, play down, downplay - understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry" set off, bring out - direct attention to, as if by means of contrast; "This dress accentuates your nice figure!"; "I set off these words by brackets" re-emphasise, re-emphasize - emphasize anew; "The director re-emphasized the need for greater productivity" bear down - pay special attention to; "The lectures bore down on the political background" topicalize - emphasize by putting heavy stress on or by moving to the front of the sentence; "Speakers topicalize more often than they realize"; "The object of the sentence is topicalized in what linguists call `Yiddish Movement'" point up - emphasize, especially by identification; "This novel points up the racial problems in England" press home, ram home, drive home - make clear by special emphasis and try to convince somebody of something; "drive home a point or an argument"; "I'm trying to drive home these basic ideas" emphasise, underline, underscore, emphasize - give extra weight to (a communication); "Her gesture emphasized her words" |
| 2. | accent - put stress on; utter with an accent; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
accent
noun
1. pronunciation, tone, articulation, inflection, brogue, intonation, diction, modulation, elocution, enunciation, accentuation He has developed a slight American accent.
2. stress, force, beat, emphasis, rhythm, cadence, timbre, accentuation, ictus Talk very fast and put an accent on every third word.
3. emphasis, stress, importance, priority, significance, insistence, prominence, underscoring There is often a strong accent on material success.
verb
1. emphasize, stress, highlight, underline, bring home, underscore, accentuate, foreground, give emphasis to, call or draw attention to She had a round face accented by a little white cap.
Quotations
"The accent of one's birthplace lingers in the mind and in the heart as it does in one's speech" [Duc de la Rochefoucauld Maximes]
"The accent of one's birthplace lingers in the mind and in the heart as it does in one's speech" [Duc de la Rochefoucauld Maximes]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
accent
noun1. A particular vocal quality that indicates some emotion or feeling:
Idiom: tone of voice.
2. Special weight placed upon something considered important:
To accord emphasis to:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تَوْكِيدعَلَامَة تَشْدِيد اللَّفْظلَهْجَهنبَّر اللَّفْظ، شَدَّدَ عَلَى مَقْطَعنَبْرَة الصَّوت
akcentdůrazpřízvukzdůraznit
accentaccenttegnhovedvægtmed accenttryk
aksenttiaksenttimerkkiilmaisuiskukorostaa
ékezetkiejtésmód
áherslaáherslumerkiframburîurleggja áherslu á
アクセントなまり
akcentasdidžiausias dėmesyskirčio ženklaskirčiuotikirtis
akcentētakcentsuzsvara zīmeuzsvarsuzsvars, akcents
akcent
naglas
naglasak
accentaccentuerabetonabrytning
accent
A. [ˈæksənt] N
1. (written) → acento m
put an accent on the "o" → pon un acento sobre la "o"
acute accent → acento m agudo
written accent → acento m ortográfico
put an accent on the "o" → pon un acento sobre la "o"
acute accent → acento m agudo
written accent → acento m ortográfico
2. (= pronunciation) → acento m
he has a French accent → tiene acento francés
with a strong Andalusian accent → con (un) fuerte acento andaluz
he has a French accent → tiene acento francés
with a strong Andalusian accent → con (un) fuerte acento andaluz
C. [ˈæksənt] CPD accent mark N → acento m ortográfico
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
accent
[ˈæksənt] n (= pronunciation) → accent m
to have a German accent → avoir l'accent allemand
He has a French accent → Il a l'accent français.
to speak with an accent → parler avec un accent
to speak with an Irish accent → parler avec l'accent irlandais
She speaks with a slight American accent → Elle parle avec un léger accent américain.
to have a strong accent → avoir un accent marqué
to have a German accent → avoir l'accent allemand
He has a French accent → Il a l'accent français.
to speak with an accent → parler avec un accent
to speak with an Irish accent → parler avec l'accent irlandais
She speaks with a slight American accent → Elle parle avec un léger accent américain.
to have a strong accent → avoir un accent marqué
(LINGUISTICS) (= written mark) → accent m
(= emphasis, stress) → accent m
the accent is on ... → l'accent est mis sur ...
to put the accent on sth → mettre l'accent sur qch
the accent is on ... → l'accent est mis sur ...
to put the accent on sth → mettre l'accent sur qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
accent
n (all senses) → Akzent m; (= stress also) → Betonung f; accents (liter: = tones) → Töne pl, → Tonfall m; to speak without/with an accent → akzentfrei or ohne Akzent/mit Akzent sprechen; to put the accent on something (fig) → den Akzent auf etw (acc) → legen; the accent is on bright colours → der Akzent or die Betonung liegt auf leuchtenden Farben
vt → betonen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
accent
(ˈӕksənt) noun1. (a mark used to show) the stress on a syllable. The accent is on the second syllable.
2. a mark used to show the pronunciation of a letter in certain languages. Put an accent on the e in début.
3. emphasis. The accent must be on hard work.
4. a special way of pronouncing words in a particular area etc. an American accent.
(əkˈsent) verb to pronounce with stress or emphasis. The second syllable is accented.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
accent
n. acento, énfasis, intensificación;
v. acentuar, hacer énfasis; recalcar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012