ton
Greektone, pitch (from stretching); also thunder
About This Root
From Greek tonos (a stretching, tension, pitch) and the cognate Latin tonāre (to thunder), both from PIE *ten- 'to stretch.' A string stretched tight gives a musical pitch; the sky stretched and rumbling gives thunder. Hence two branches: tone, intonation, tonic, monotone, monotony (pitch) and detonate, astonish (thunder).
Associated Words · 10
tone
The quality of a sound or voice; mood or character; shade of colour
astonishment
A feeling of great surprise or amazement
tonic
A restorative medicine or drink; tonic water; invigorating
detonate
To explode or cause to explode
monotonous
Tediously repetitive and lacking in variety
intonation
The rise and fall of the voice when speaking
detonation
A sudden violent explosion
monotone
A flat, unvarying tone of voice; speaking without variation in pitch
monotony
Tedium caused by repetition or lack of variety
atonal
Not written in any musical key; lacking a tonal center