English → Latin
“accent” in Latin
apexThe extreme end of a thing; the point, summit, top.; The small rod (generally of olive wood) at the top of the flamen's accentusa blast, signal; accent, tone, accentuation; intensity, violencetenora sustained, continuous course or movement, a continuity of events, conditions etc. or way of proceeding; a line of reastonusThe stretching or straining of a rope.; A strain; tension.; The pitch, sound or tone of something.Nigidiusa Roman nomen gentile, gens or "family name" famously held by
The English word accent itself goes back to Latin canō, through accentus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
accent v.
in pronunciation, certum vocis admovere sonum; cum sono quodam vocis pronuntiare.
In writing, apponere syllabae notam or apicem (the last, if it is long).
accent s.
in pronunciation, vocis sonus (Cic.): accentus, tenor (Quint.): tonus (Nigidius, ap. Gell., 13, 25). Acute accent, sonus vocis acutus.
In writing, vocis nota (Gell., 13, 6): apex (the mark of a long syllable, but different from the circumflex. Spald., Quint., 1, 5, 23). To place an accent. Vid. ACCENT, v.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for accent?
- The usual Latin words for “accent” are apex, accentus, tenor; also tonus, Nigidius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.