Oxford Dictionary English

    intonation

    noun
    noun
    BrE BrE//ˌɪntəˈneɪʃn//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˌɪntəˈneɪʃn//
    Phonetics
    Add to my wordlist
    jump to other results
  1. 1 [uncountable, countable] (phonetics) the rise and fall of the voice in speaking, especially as this affects the meaning of what is being said intonation patterns In English, some questions have a rising intonation. Her voice was low with a faint regional intonation. the rising intonation at the end of spoken questions She’s studying intonation patterns in children’s speech. compare stress Wordfinderpronunciationcluster, consonant, diphthong, elide, intonation, phonetics, pronunciation, stress, tone, voiced Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefalling, flat, rising, … intonation + nounpattern See full entry See related entries: Phonetics
  2. 2 [uncountable] (music) the quality of playing or singing exactly in tune The violin’s intonation was poor.
    3.  Word Originearly 17th cent. (originally meaning the opening phrase of a plainsong melody): from medieval Latin intonatio(n-), from intonare, from in- ‘into’ + Latin tonus ‘tone’.
See intonation in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: intonation
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com