tune
pronunciation
How to pronounce tune in British English:
UK [tjuːn]
How to pronounce tune in American English:
US [tuːn]
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- Noun:
- a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
- the property of producing accurately a note of a given pitch
- the adjustment of a radio receiver or other circuit to a required frequency
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- Verb:
- adjust for (better) functioning
- of musical instruments
Word Origin
- tune
- tune: [14] Tune originated as a variant of tone, and to begin with it was used for ‘sound, tone’ (‘He told him of the death of Brunes; then were made hideous tunes of many a gentle damsel’, Troy book 1400). Very quickly, however, the sense ‘melody’ emerged (it is not present in tone), and eventually took over from ‘sound’. The derivative attune dates from the late 16th century.=> attune, tone
- tune (n.)
- early 14c., "a musical sound," unexplained variant of tone (n.). From late 14c. as "a well-rounded succession of musical notes, an air, melody." Meaning "state of being in proper pitch" is from mid-15c.
- tune (v.)
- "bring into a state of proper pitch," c. 1500, from tune (n.). Non-musical meaning "to adjust an organ or receiver, put into a state proper for some purpose" is recorded from 1887. Verbal phrase tune in in reference to radio (later also TV) is recorded from 1913; figurative sense of "become aware" is recorded from 1926. Tune out "eliminate radio reception" is recorded from 1908; figurative sense of "disregard, stop heeding" is from 1928. Related: Tuned; tuning.
Example
- 1. Very young children can tell if a tune or harmony is not quite right .
- 2. Their loony images make them sway in their own tune making them this susceptible .
- 3. I didn 't even know the lyrics , but my mind kept spinning the tune anyways .
- 4. All of a sudden , everyone on tv was doing the same move and humming the same tune .
- 5. Our model is the pied piper , who played his irresistible tune and every child in hamelin blindly followed .