accent
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.the unique way that people from a specific country or area pronounce words.
n.the distinctive manner of pronunciation characteristic of a particular locality, nation, or social class.
Simple“Even though he lived in London for years, he still has a strong Scottish accent.”
In context“The actor spent months working with a dialect coach to perfect a convincing West Texas accent for his upcoming role.”
PitfallShe has a very strong slang. She has a very strong accent.Slang refers to the specific words people use; accent refers only to the way they sound when they speak.
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a small mark placed over a letter to show how to pronounce it.
n.a diacritical mark used in writing to indicate stress, vowel quality, or to distinguish between homophones.
Simple“In the word 'café', there is an accent over the letter 'e'.”
In context“The student frequently forgot to include the appropriate accents when writing in French, which occasionally altered the meaning of the verbs.”
Synonymsdiacriticmark - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.special importance or focus given to something.
n.the relative prominence or emphasis given to a particular syllable, word, or element of a design.
Simple“The accent of the new menu is on fresh, local seafood.”
In context“In this interior design, the accent is on natural light and minimalist furniture to create a sense of open space.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a stronger or louder note in a piece of music.
n.a distinct emphasis placed on a particular note or beat, often indicated by a specific musical symbol.
Simple“The drummer played a heavy accent on the first beat of every bar.”
In context“The conductor requested a sharper accent on the staccato passages to highlight the rhythmic complexity of the movement.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to make something more noticeable or to emphasize a sound.
v.to give prominence to a feature or to pronounce a syllable with stress.
Simple“You should use a highlighter to accent the most important parts of the text.”
In context“The chef chose to accent the dish with a hint of lemon zest to balance the richness of the cream sauce.”
“Those are accents, designed to help you pronounce the word correctly.”
“As a Canadian actor once said in a Scottish accent: Ye canne' change the laws of physics.”
From Middle English accent, from Medieval Latin accentus and Old French accent, acent, both from Latin accentus, past participle of accinō (“sing to, sing along”). The word accent had been borrowed into Old English already, but was lost and reborrowed in Middle English.
From Middle French accenter, from Old French accenter, from Latin accentō, from accentus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.