tones

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of tone.

   The room was decorated in muted earth tones throughout.

   His voice shifted between mocking and serious tones during the speech.

   Note

   One spelling does two jobs here. The same letters also serve as the verb's present-tense form, so context decides. As a noun plural, it counts different things in different fields. Musicians count tones as pitches or as whole-step intervals of the diatonic scale. Linguists count the pitch patterns that separate meanings, as in Chinese. An older use, now dated, made tones a whining, measured, artificial strain of voice.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of tone.

   The new filter tones the photograph down to a softer palette.

   A daily routine tones the body and improves overall stamina.

   Note

   In each of its meanings the verb takes a direct object: something is toned. The object usually shows which meaning is at work. It may be a print whose color is changed, a body or muscle made firmer, or a passage given a particular tone. It may also be words uttered in an affected voice, a use that echoes the dated, artificial speaking style recorded for the noun.

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