Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - tone

 biographical name  (Theobald) Wolfe 1763-1798 Irish revolutionary TONE  I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French tun, ton, from Latin tonus tension, ~, from Greek tonos, literally, act of stretching; akin to Greek teinein to stretch — more at thin  Date: 14th century  1. vocal or musical sound of a specific quality spoke in low ~s masculine ~s; especially musical sound with respect to timbre and manner of expression  2.  a. a sound of definite pitch and vibration  b. whole step  3. accent or inflection expressive of a mood or emotion  4. the pitch of a word often used to express differences of meaning  5. a particular pitch or change of pitch constituting an element in the intonation of a phrase or sentence high ~ low ~ mid ~ low-rising ~ falling ~  6. style or manner of expression in speaking or writing seemed wise to adopt a conciliatory ~  7.  a.  (1) color quality or value  (2) a tint or shade of color  b. the color that appreciably modifies a hue or white or black gray walls of greenish ~  8. the effect in painting of light and shade together with color  9.  a. the state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor  b. normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli; specifically muscular tonus  10.  a. healthy elasticity ; resiliency  b. general character, quality, or trend a city's upbeat ~  c. frame of mind ; mood  II. verb  (~d; toning)  Date: 1660  transitive verb  1. in~  2. to give a particular intonation or inflection to  3.  a. to impart ~ to ; strengthen medicine to ~ up the system  b. to soften or reduce in intensity, color, appearance, or sound ; mellow — often used with down  c. to change the normal silver image of (as a photographic print) into a colored image  intransitive verb  1. to assume a pleasing color quality or tint  2. to blend or harmonize in color