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accent

   Also found in: Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
ac·cent  (ksnt)
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. (ksnt, k-snt) ac·cent·ed, ac·cent·ing, ac·cents
1. To stress or emphasize the pronunciation of.
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).]

accent
n [ˈæksənt]
1. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) the characteristic mode of pronunciation of a person or group, esp one that betrays social or geographical origin
2. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) the relative prominence of a spoken or sung syllable, esp with regard to stress or pitch Compare pitch1 [28] stress [3]
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 acute [10] grave2 [5] circumflex
5. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) (in some languages, such as Chinese) any of the tones that have phonemic value in distinguishing one word from another Compare tone [7]
6. (Linguistics) rhythmic stress in verse or prose
7. (Music / 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 [ækˈsɛnt] (tr)
1. to mark with an accent in writing, speech, music, etc.
2. to lay particular emphasis or stress on
[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]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.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.accentaccent - 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"
stress, focus - special emphasis attached to something; "the stress was more on accuracy than on speed"
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
spang, bang - leap, jerk, bang; "Bullets spanged into the trees"
forrad, forrard, forward, forwards, frontward, frontwards - at or to or toward the front; "he faced forward"; "step forward"; "she practiced sewing backward as well as frontward on her new sewing machine"; (`forrad' and `forrard' are dialectal variations)
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 pronunciation
language, 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
acute, acute accent, ague - a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
grave accent, grave - a mark (`) placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
Verb1.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"
evince, express, show - give expression to; "She showed her disappointment"
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"
enounce, enunciate, pronounce, sound out, articulate, say - speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way; "She pronounces French words in a funny way"; "I cannot say `zip wire'"; "Can the child sound out this complicated word?"

accent
noun
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
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]
Translations
accent
A. [ˈæksənt] N
1. (written) → acento m
put an accent on the "o"pon un acento sobre la "o"
acute accentacento m agudo
written accentacento m ortográfico
2. (= pronunciation) → acento m
he has a French accenttiene acento francés
with a strong Andalusian accentcon(un)fuerte acento andaluz
3. (= emphasis) (fig) to put the accent onsubrayar(la importancia de), recalcar
the minister put the accent on exportsel ministro recalcó la importancia de la exportación
this year the accent is on bright colours (Fashion) → este año están de moda los colores vivos
4. (liter) (= tone) in accents of some surpriseen cierto tono de asombro
B. [ækˈsent] VT
1. [+ syllable, word] → acentuar
2. [+ need, difference] → recalcar, subrayar
3. [+ colour, feature] → realzar
C. [ˈæksənt] CPD accent mark Nacento m ortográfico

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
(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

accent
n (all senses) → Akzent m; (= stress also)Betonung f; accents (liter: = tones) → Töne pl, → Tonfall m; to speak without/with an accentakzentfrei or ohne Akzent/mit Akzent sprechen; to put the accent on something (fig)den Akzent auf etw (acc)legen; the accent is on bright coloursder Akzent or die Betonung liegt auf leuchtenden Farben
vtbetonen

accent [ˈæksnt] n (all senses) → accento

accent
n accent [ˈӕksənt]
1 (a mark used to show) the stress on a syllable The accent is on the second syllable. klem نَبْرَة الصَّوت ударение přízvuk tryk die Betonung τόνος, τονισμός acento rõhk تکیه صدا paino accent (tonique) דָגֶש, הַטְעָמָה स्वर का चढ़ाव उतार naglasak hangsúly(jel) tekanan kata áhersla accento アクセント 악센트 kirtis uzsvars, akcents aksen accent trykk akcent acento accent ударение prízvuk naglas akcent accent, betoning การเน้นเสียง vurgu 重音 наголос لفظ پر زور dấu trọng âm
2 a mark used to show the pronunciation of a letter in certain languages Put an accent on the e in début. aksentteken عَلَامَة تَشْدِيد اللَّفْظ знак за ударение akcent accenttegn der Akzent τόνος (σημείο στίξης) acento, tilde rõhumärk آکسان korkomerkki accent סִימָן טָעָם स्वर उच्चारण करना naglasak ékezet tanda ucapan áherslumerki accento アクセント符号 악센트 부호 kirčio ženklas uzsvara (akcenta) zīme tanda aksen accent aksenttegn znak diakrytyczny acento accent знак ударения akcent, spôsob výslovnosti poudarek akcent accent[] เครื่องหมายแสดงการเน้นเสียง vurgu işareti 重音符號 акцент تلفظ کا نشان dấu nhấn phát âm
3 emphasis The accent must be on hard work. nadruk تَوْكِيد наблягане důraz hovedvægt die Betonung έμφαση énfasis pearõhk تأکید painotus accent דָגֶש बलाघात naglasak hangsúly penekanan áhersla accento 強調 강조 didžiausias dėmesys, pabrėžimas uzsvars penekanan accent hovedvekt nacisk ênfase ac­cent акцент dôraz poudarek naglasak tonvikt การเน้น vurgulama 著重點 акцент, наголос تاکید کرنا sự nhấn mạnh
4 a special way of pronouncing words in a particular area etc an American accent. aksent لَهْجَه акцент akcent, přízvuk accent; udtale der Akzent προφορά acento, pronunciación aktsent لهجه korostus accent מִבְטָא लहजा naglasak kiejtésmód aksen framburður accento なまり 어투 akcentas, tartis akcents pelat accent aksent, tonefall akcent pronúncia accent произношение akcent, prízvuk naglas akcent brytning, uttal สำเนียง aksan 口音 акцент لہجہ giọng
[əkˈsent] v
to pronounce with stress or emphasis The second syllable is accented. aksentueer نبَّر اللَّفْظ، شَدَّدَ عَلَى مَقْطَع произнасям с ударение zdůraznit accentueret; med accent betonen τονίζω acentuar rõhutama با فشار ادا کردن painottaa accentuer לְהַטעִים, לְהַדְגִיש स्वराघात naglasiti hangsúlyoz pemberian tekanan leggja áherslu á accentare アクセントをつける 악센트를 두다 kirčiuoti, pabrėžti uzsvērt; akcentēt ditekankan beklemtonen betone; legge trykk/vekt akcentować acentuar a accentua делать ударение zdôrazniť poudariti naglasiti betona ลงเสียงหนัก vurgulamak 重讀 робити наголос زور دینا nhấn mạnh


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"And I you a happy New Year," responded the Second Blighted Being, with the accent of a penitent accordeon.
The accent marked by an asterisk resembles the lower half of a circle.
He and his wife spoke English with an accent which was only discernible through its un-English emphasis and a certain carefulness and deliberation.
 
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