Definitions for accent
ˈæk sɛnt; ækˈsɛntac·cent

Princeton's WordNet(2.67 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. accent, speech patternnoun

   distinctive manner of oral expression

   "he couldn't suppress his contemptuous accent"; "she had a very clear speech pattern"

2. emphasis, accentnoun

   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"

3. dialect, idiom, accentnoun

   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"

4. stress, emphasis, accentnoun

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

   "he put the stress on the wrong syllable"

5. accent, accent markverb

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

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

   to stress, single out as important

   "Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet"

7. stress, accent, accentuateverb

   put stress on; utter with an accent

   "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word"

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ACCENTnoun

   Etymology: accentus, Lat.

   1. The manner of speaking or pronouncing, with regard either to force or elegance.

   I know, Sir, I am no flatterer; he that beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain knave; which, for my part, I will not be. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   Your accent is something finer than you could purchase in so removed a dwelling. William Shakespeare, As you like it.

   2. In grammar, the marks made upon syllables to regulate their pronunciation.

   Accent, as in the Greek names and usage, seems to have regarded the tune of the voice; the acute accent raising the voice in some certain syllables to a higher, i.e. more acute pitch or tone, and the grave depressing it lower, and both having some emphasis, i.e. more vigorous pronunciation. William Holder, Elem.

   3. Poetically, language or words.

   How many ages hence
   Shall this our lofty scene be acted o’er,
   In states unborn, and accents yet unknown. William Shakespeare, Jul. Cæsar.

   Winds on your wings to heav’n her accents bear;
   Such words as heav’n alone is fit to hear. John Dryden, Virg. Past. 3.

   4. A modification of the voice, expressive of the passions or sentiments.

   The tender accent of a woman’s cry
   Will pass unheard, will unregarded die;
   When the rough seaman’s louder shouts prevail,
   When fair occasion shews the springing gale. Matthew Prior.

2. To Accentverb

   Etymology: from accentus, Lat.

   1. To pronounce, to speak words with particular regard to the grammatical marks or rules.

   Having got somebody to mark the last syllable but one, where it is long, in words above two syllables (which is enough to regulate her pronunciation, and accenting the words) let her read daily in the gospels, and avoid understanding them in Latin, if she can. John Locke, on Education, § 177.

   2. In poetry, to pronounce or utter in general.

   O my unhappy lines! you that before
   Have serv’d my youth to vent some wanton cries,
   And, now congeal’d with grief, can scarce implore
   Strength to accent, Here my Albertus lies! Henry Wotton.

   3. To write or note the accents.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Accentnoun

   a superior force of voice or of articulative effort upon some particular syllable of a word or a phrase, distinguishing it from the others

2. Accentnoun

   a mark or character used in writing, and serving to regulate the pronunciation; esp.: (a) a mark to indicate the nature and place of the spoken accent; (b) a mark to indicate the quality of sound of the vowel marked; as, the French accents

3. Accentnoun

   modulation of the voice in speaking; manner of speaking or pronouncing; peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice; tone; as, a foreign accent; a French or a German accent

4. Accentnoun

   a word; a significant tone

5. Accentnoun

   expressions in general; speech

6. Accentnoun

   stress laid on certain syllables of a verse

7. Accentnoun

   a regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure

8. Accentnoun

   a special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure

9. Accentnoun

   the rhythmical accent, which marks phrases and sections of a period

10. Accentnoun

    the expressive emphasis and shading of a passage

11. Accentnoun

    a mark placed at the right hand of a letter, and a little above it, to distinguish magnitudes of a similar kind expressed by the same letter, but differing in value, as y', y''

12. Accentnoun

    a mark at the right hand of a number, indicating minutes of a degree, seconds, etc.; as, 12'27'', i. e., twelve minutes twenty seven seconds

13. Accentnoun

    a mark used to denote feet and inches; as, 6' 10'' is six feet ten inches

14. Accentverb

    to express the accent of (either by the voice or by a mark); to utter or to mark with accent

15. Accentverb

    to mark emphatically; to emphasize

16. Etymology: [OF. accenter, F. accentuer.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Accent

   In sociolinguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation. An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside, the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language, and so on. Accents typically differ in quality of the voice, pronunciation and distinction of vowels and consonants, stress, and prosody. Although grammar, semantics, vocabulary, and other language characteristics often vary concurrently with accent, the word 'accent' may refer specifically to the differences in pronunciation, whereas the word 'dialect' encompasses the broader set of linguistic differences. Often 'accent' is a subset of 'dialect'.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Accent

   ak′sent, n. modulation of the voice: stress on a syllable or word: a mark used to direct this stress: any mode of utterance peculiar to a country, a province, or an individual: (poet.) a significant word, or words generally: (pl.) speech, language.—v.t. Accent′, to express or note the accent.—adj. Accent′ual, relating to accent.—n. Accentual′ity.—adv. Accent′ually.—v.t. Accent′uate, to mark or pronounce with accent: to make prominent.—n. Accentuā′tion, the act of marking or of pronouncing accents. [Fr.—L. accentus, a tone or note—ad, to, canĕre, to sing.]

Matched Categories

1. • Importance
   • Pronounce
   • Prosody

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'accent' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2960

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'accent' in Nouns Frequency: #1966

How to pronounce accent?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say accent in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of accent in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of accent in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of accent in a Sentence

1. Katey Sagal:

   It's easier for me in a way to have all the you know, when I put the wig on and I'm in these peasant clothes and, thank God, no high heels … and the accent, and there's just such a different it's just exciting. it’s a little different in that we have acting scenes together. We never had that in ‘Sons,’.

2. West Palm Beach:

   Palms, while an iconic part of Miami Beach's landscape, have moved from being an accent plant to a major component of the city's urban forest.

3. Salma Hayek:

   We were talking on the phone and she was already Patrizia, her accent was perfect.

4. François de La Rochefoucauld:

   The accent of one's birthplace remains in the mind and in the heart as in one's speech.

5. John Melendez:

   Jared Kushner and Donald Trump picks up the phone and I started talking to The President. I never said to Jared Kushner and Donald Trump that I was Sen. Menendez. I was just talking in my Long Island accent. The thing is, you hear my bad Long Island accent and a voice that Jared Kushner and Donald Trump has talked to so many times, the President wants to be accessible to members and likes engaging them and wants them to have the opportunity to connect. The downside of that is sometimes the channels are open too widely and mistakes like this happen.

Popularity rank by frequency of use