tone

Where does the word "tone" come from? It comes from Greek tonos, passing through Latin before entering English (1300s).

Tone’s story begins in Greek: tonos meant “stretching, tension.” Greek, from 'teinein', to stretch, like a string. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as tonus. A stretched string produces a note; came to English via Old French 'ton'. It reached English by 1300s as tone. 'tone of voice' dates from the 1600s. Today, tone means a musical or vocal sound; a general character.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient tonos "stretching, tension", Greek, from 'teinein', to stretch, like a string.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient tonus "sound, tone", a stretched string produces a note; came to English via Old French 'ton'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s tone "a musical sound", 'tone of voice' dates from the 1600s.