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Definition of Accent in English :

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Accent meaning in English

Meaning of Accent in English

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Accent

see synonyms of accent

Noun

1. accent, speech pattern

distinctive manner of oral expression

Example Sentences:
'he couldn't suppress his contemptuous accent'
'she had a very clear speech pattern'

2. accent, emphasis

special importance or significance

Example Sentences:
'the red light gave the central figure increased emphasis'
'the room was decorated in shades of grey with distinctive red accents'

3. accent, dialect, idiom

the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people

Example Sentences:
'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'

4. accent, emphasis, stress

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

Example Sentences:
'he put the stress on the wrong syllable'

5. accent, accent mark

a diacritical mark used to indicate stress or placed above a vowel to indicate a special pronunciation

Verb

6. accent, accentuate, emphasise, emphasize, punctuate, stress

to stress, single out as important

Example Sentences:
'Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet'

7. accent, accentuate, stress

put stress on; utter with an accent

Example Sentences:
'In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word'

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Accent

see synonyms of accent
noun (ˈæksənt )
1. 
the characteristic mode of pronunciation of a person or group, esp one that betrays social or geographical origin
2. 
the relative prominence of a spoken or sung syllable, esp with regard to stress or pitch
Compare pitch1 (sense 28), stress (sense 3)
3. 
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. 
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
acute (sense 10), grave2 (sense 5), circumflex
5. 
(in some languages, such as Chinese) any of the tones that have phonemic value in distinguishing one word from another
Compare tone (sense 7)
6. 
rhythmic stress in verse or prose
7. 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
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
verb (ækˈsɛnt ) (transitive)
12. 
to mark with an accent in writing, speech, music, etc
13. 
to lay particular emphasis or stress on

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Accent

see synonyms of accent
noun
1. 
the emphasis (by stress, pitch, or both) given to a particular syllable or word when it is spoken
2. 
a mark used in writing or printing to show the placing and kind of this emphasis, as in the primary (ˈ) and secondary (ˌ) accenting of English (acˈcelerˌator, ˌacaˈdemically, etc.)
3. 
a mark used to distinguish between various sounds represented by the same letter
in French there are acute (´), grave (ˋ), and circumflex (^) accents
4. 
the pitch contour of a phrase
5. 
a. 
a distinguishing regional or national manner of pronunciation
Irish accent, Southern accent
b. 
a manner of articulating the sounds of another language that is influenced by the phonology of one's native language
speaking Russian with a heavy Midwestern American accent
6.  [often pl.]
a voice modulation expressive of an emotion
accents of love
7.  [pl.]; OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
speech; words; utterance
in accents mild
8. 
a distinguishing style of expression
9. 
a striking or prominent feature of any artistic composition
the classical accent of a pillar
10. 
an object or detail that lends emphasis, as by contrast with that which surrounds it
11. 
special emphasis or attention
to put the accent on highway construction
12. 
a mark used with a number or letter, as in mathematics to indicate a variable (a57426), or in measurement of length (10′ 5″, ten feet five inches) or of time (3′ 16″, three minutes sixteen seconds)
13.  Music
a. 
emphasis or stress on a note or chord
b. 
a mark or sign showing this
14.  Music and Prosody
rhythmic stress or beat
verb transitive
15. 
to pronounce (a syllable, word, or phrase) with special stress
16. 
to mark with an accent
17. 
to emphasize

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Accent

see synonyms of accent
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. (ăksĕnt′, 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.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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