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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Accent \Ac"cent`\, n. [F. accent, L. accentus; ad cantus a
singing, canere to sing. See {Cant}.]
1. A superior force of voice or of articulative effort upon
some particular syllable of a word or a phrase,
distinguishing it from the others.
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Note: Many English words have two accents, the primary and
the secondary; the primary being uttered with a greater
stress of voice than the secondary; as in
as'pira[bprime]tion, where the chief stress is on the
third syllable, and a slighter stress on the first.
Some words, as an'tiap'o-plec[bprime]tic,
in-com'pre-hen'si-bil[bprime]i-ty, have two secondary
accents. See Guide to Pron., [sect][sect] 30-46.
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2. A mark or character used in writing, and serving to
regulate the pronunciation; esp.:
(a) a mark to indicate the nature and place of the spoken
accent;
(b) a mark to indicate the quality of sound of the vowel
marked; as, the French accents.
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Note: In the ancient Greek the acute accent (') meant a
raised tone or pitch, the grave (`), the level tone or
simply the negation of accent, the circumflex ( ~ or ^)
a tone raised and then depressed. In works on
elocution, the first is often used to denote the rising
inflection of the voice; the second, the falling
inflection; and the third (^), the compound or waving
inflection. In dictionaries, spelling books, and the
like, the acute accent is used to designate the
syllable which receives the chief stress of voice.
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3. Modulation of the voice in speaking; manner of speaking or
pronouncing; peculiar or characteristic modification of
the voice; tone; as, a foreign accent; a French or a
German accent. "Beguiled you in a plain accent." --Shak.
"A perfect accent." --Thackeray.
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The tender accent of a woman's cry. --Prior.
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4. A word; a significant tone; (pl.) expressions in general;
speech.
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Winds! on your wings to Heaven her accents bear,
Such words as Heaven alone is fit to hear. --Dryden.
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5. (Pros.) Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse.
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6. (Mus.)
(a) A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the
beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the
measure.
(b) A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part
of the measure.
(c) The rhythmical accent, which marks phrases and
sections of a period.
(d) The expressive emphasis and shading of a passage. --J.
S. Dwight.
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7. (Math.)
(a) A mark placed at the right hand of a letter, and a
little above it, to distinguish magnitudes of a
similar kind expressed by the same letter, but
differing in value, as y', y[sec].
(b) (Trigon.) A mark at the right hand of a number,
indicating minutes of a degree, seconds, etc.; as,
12'27[sec], i. e., twelve minutes twenty seven
seconds.
(c) (Engin.) A mark used to denote feet and inches; as, 6'
10[sec] is six feet ten inches.
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Accent \Ac*cent"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Accented}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Accenting}.] [OF. accenter, F. accentuer.]
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1. To express the accent of (either by the voice or by a
mark); to utter or to mark with accent.
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2. To mark emphatically; to emphasize.
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