Etymology
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monotone (n.)

"unvarying tone in music or speaking, utterance at one unvaried pitch," 1640s; see monotony. OED says use of the word as a noun is peculiar to English.

Monotone is a natural device for increasing the sonority of the voice, so that it may readily fill a large space, and is also thought by some to have a peculiar solemnity of effect. It is much used as an element in chanting. [Century Dictionary]

Entries linking to monotone

monotony (n.)

1706, originally in transferred sense of "wearisome sameness, tiresome uniformity or lack of variation," from French monotonie (1670s), from Greek monotonia "sameness of tone, monotony," from monotonos "of one and the same tone," from monos "single, alone" (from PIE root *men- (4) "small, isolated") + tonos "tone," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch." Literal sense of "sameness of tone or pitch" is attested in English from 1724.

updated on February 18, 2019

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Dictionary entries near monotone

monosyllabic

monosyllable

monotheism

monotheist

monotheistic

monotone

monotonic

monotonous

monotony

monotreme

monotype

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