accent

Meanings

Noun

• A higher-pitched or stronger articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.
• Emphasis or importance in general.
• A mark or character used in writing, in order to indicate the place of the spoken accent, or to indicate the nature or quality of the vowel marked.
• Modulation of the voice in speaking; the manner of speaking or pronouncing; a peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice, expressing emotion; tone.
• The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.
• A distinctive manner of producing a sign language, such as someone who does not normally use a certain sign language might have when using it.
• A word; a significant tone or sound.
• Expressions in general; speech.
• Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse.
• A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure.
• A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure.
• A mark used to represent this special emphasis.File:Notation accents.png|thumb|The third and fourth symbols are accents (marks used to represent special emphasis in music).
• The rhythmical accent, which marks phrases and sections of a period.
• A prime symbol.
• Emphasis laid on a part of an artistic design or composition; an emphasized detail, in particular a detail in sharp contrast to its surroundings.
• A very small gemstone set into a piece of jewellery.
• Utterance.

Verb

• To express the accent of vocally; to utter with accent.
• To mark emphatically; to emphasize; to accentuate; to make prominent.
• To mark with written accents.

Origin

• From Middle English accent, from Middle French accent, from Old French acent, from Latin accentus, past participle of accinō. The word accent had been borrowed into Old English already, but was lost and reborrowed in Middle English.
• From Middle French accenter, from Old French accenter, from Latin accentō, from accentus.