noun , verb
■ noun / ˈæksent; NAmE ; -sənt/
1.
[ C , U ] a way of pronouncing the words of a language that shows which country, area or social class a person comes from :
a northern / Dublin / Indian / Scottish accent
a strong / broad accent (= one that is very noticeable)
She spoke English with an accent .
—compare dialect
2.
[ sing. ] a special importance that is given to sth
SYN emphasis :
In all our products the accent is on quality.
3.
[ C ] the emphasis that you should give to part of a word when saying it
SYN stress :
In 'today' the accent is on the second syllable.
4.
[ C ] a mark on a letter to show that it should be pronounced in a particular way :
Canapé has an accent on the 'e'.
■ verb
/ ækˈsent/ [ vn ] to emphasize a part of sth
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense intonation ): from Latin accentus tone, signal, or intensity (from ad- to + cantus song), translating Greek prosōidia a song sung to music, intonation.