Entone

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To utter words in a deep, resonant, drawn-out chant, usually in a solemn or ceremonial manner
2. To recite or sing a passage in a sustained, melodious tone, as is common in religious or ritual settings
3. Speaking or chanting with a rich, prolonged vocal sound, often used for prayers, liturgy, or formal readings

Etymology: "Entone" is an obsolete spelling of "intone", and the two forms come down the same road. The verb passed into Middle English as "entune" or "entone", borrowed from Old French "entoner", which was built on Medieval Latin "intonare". That Latin verb combines the prefix "in-", used here to mark the start of an action, with "tonus", meaning pitch or tone, a word the Greeks had already given the language as "tonos", a stretching or tension. The sense is literal at heart: to intone is to bring your voice into a particular pitch and hold it there, which is why the word is so closely tied to chanting and reciting. Its relative "intonate" is a doublet, a word that reached English by a separate route from the same Latin source, and the same root gave French "entonner" and Italian "intonare", which still mean to strike up a tune. Modern English keeps only "intone", since "entone" has dropped out of use.

Synonyms: intone, chant, recite