/ ˌɪntəˈneɪʃn; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U , C ] ( phonetics ) the rise and fall of the voice in speaking, especially as this affects the meaning of what is being said :
intonation patterns
In English, some questions have a rising intonation.
—compare stress
2.
[ U ] ( music ) the quality of playing or singing exactly in tune
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (originally meaning the opening phrase of a plainsong melody): from medieval Latin intonatio(n-) , from intonare , from in- into + Latin tonus tone.