tunen.
/tjuːn/, /tʃuːn/, U.S. /t(j)un/ a. A (musical) sound or tone; esp. the sound of the voice: = tone n. 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [noun] > sound
sounda1330
noisea1375
tunea1387
laita1400
sweyinga1400
noising1422
sone1630
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [noun] > note or tone
notec1330
tunea1387
tonec1400
report1502
stop1576
sound1654
klang1890
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 355 Þey makeþ wel mery armonye and melody wiþ wel þicke tunes [ Caxton tewnes], werbeles, and nootes.
c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 14292 He tolde him of the deth of Brunes; Then were mad hidus tuynes Off many a gentil damysel.
1413 Pilgr. Sowle (1859) v. i. 72 There was no tune of musik that ther was forgeten.
R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle Fire of Love 73 Emonge aungels twnys it has a acceptabyll melody.
c1450 Songs & Carols (E.E.T.S.) 89/53 Thus seyth þis byrde, in tyunes gay.
1508 J. Fisher Treat. Penyt. Psalmes sig. gg.iii In the whiche swete soundes we shall here so grete plente & dyuersyte of tunes as euer was herde before.
1560 T. Ingelend Disobedient Child C ij Her tonge and her tune is very shryll.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie T 362 The tune of the harpe, canor lyræ. Ouid.
1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Dij Mellodious discord, heauenly tune harsh sounding.
a1600 A. Montgomerie Misc. Poems vi. 31 Lamenting toons best lyks me for relief.
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cxli. sig. I2 Nor are mine eares with thy toungs tune delighted.
c1614 W. Mure tr. Virgil Dido & Æneas iii. in Wks. (1898) I. 20 And als the light-envying owl, alone, With tragick toones her smarte and sorrow shew.
1706 M. Prior Ode to Queen 9 High as their Trumpets Tune His Lyre he strung.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 51 Lorenzo, if thy lips breathe not love's tune.
1825 H. Smith Gaieties & Gravities I. 137 Thou hast a tongue—come—let us hear its tune.
b. Applied to a special affected or peculiar intonation in speaking: cf. 2, and tone n. 5c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > intonation, pitch, or stress > [noun] > intonation
bowing1561
cant1663
cadence1709
flexion1758
chant1766
tune1783
intonation1791
1783 H. Blair Lect. Rhetoric II. xxxiii. 214 If any one, in Public Speaking, shall have formed to himself a certain melody or tune, which requires rest and pauses of its own, distinct from those of the sense, he has..contracted one of the worst habits into which a Public Speaker can fall.
2. † c. Applied to the medieval ecclesiastical modes ( the eight tunes): see mode n. 1a (b), and cf. tone n. 3b. Obsolete.
a.
(a) A rhythmical succession of musical tones produced by (or composed for) an instrument or voice; an air, melody (with or without the harmony which accompanies it). Now the leading sense. (Not in tone n.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > melody or succession of sounds > [noun] > a melody
notec1300
warblec1374
moteta1382
tunea1387
measurea1393
modulationa1398
prolation?a1425
gammec1425
proportion?a1505
laya1529
stroke1540
diapason?1553
strain1579
cantus1590
stripe1590
diapase1591
air1597
pawson1606
spirit1608
melody1609
aria1742
refrain1795
toon1901
sounds1955
klangfarbenmelodie1959
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 207 By the sleuþe of þe manere of tunes [L. modorum tarditate].
1491 Cartular. St. Nicholai Aberdon. (New Spalding Club) I. 256 Chaplannis yat kepis nocht ye Seculorum and twne gewin yame be ye chantour.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ezek. xxxiii. 32 As a balet yt hath a swete tune, and is pleasaunt to synge.
a1600 A. Montgomerie Misc. Poems xlviii. 94 Vp uent our saillis, tauntit to the huins; The trumpets soundit tuentie mirrie tuins.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) i. ii. 83 Best sing it to the tune of Light O, Loue . View more context for this quotation
1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 175 Ȝour commone menstrallis hes no tone ‘Bot Now the day dawis’ and ‘Into Ioun’.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals ix, in tr. Virgil Wks. 43 The Tune I still retain, but not the Words.
1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 333 The Tunes are extreme Gay and Lively.
1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere v, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 30 A hidden brook In the leafy month of June, That to the sleeping woods all night Singeth a quiet tune.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth x, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. I. 265 The tune,..played upon a viol, was gay and sprightly in the commencement.
(b) Proverb. (See quot. a1915.) Hence, to call the tune, to hold the initiative, to have control of events.
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society > authority > control > be in control [verb (intransitive)]
stightlea1375
to have the law in one's own hands1573
boss1856
to run the show1878
to call the tunea1915
to carry the ball1924
to run with the ball1926
to call the shots1967
a1915 Proverb He who pays the piper, calls the tune.
1928 A. Huxley Point Counter Point xii. 211 Lucy insisted, when she was with men, on doing as much of the paying as possible. Paying, she was independent, she could call her own tune.
1948 W. S. Churchill Second World War I. i. x. 182 If Britain had used her naval power, closed the Suez Canal, and defeated the Italian Navy in a general engagement, she would have had the right to call the tune in Europe.
1963 A. Ross Australia 63 iii. 92 A match throughout which, despite frequent fluctuation, England had called the tune.
1978 Lancashire Life Nov. 70/1 The Listers had called the local tune ever since the reign of Henry IV, although it was not until 1797 that the head of the family was ennobled.
b. spec. A musical setting of a hymn or psalm, usually in four-part harmony, intended for use in public worship; a hymn-tune.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > religious or devotional > [noun] > psalm > musical settings
tunec1450
psalm tune1632
miserere1779
Old Hundredth1837
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > religious or devotional > [noun] > hymn or song of praise > musical setting
tunec1450
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 27 Ambrose mad hem to be sunge delectabily with consent of dyuers tewnys whech had not be used þere be-for.
1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 7 Heir followis the Catechisme put in meter, to be sung with the tone [1578, etc. tune].
1795 W. Mason Ess. Eng. Church Music iii. 195 Adapted, if not originally written, to one particular Melody or Tune.
1833 T. Hook Parson's Daughter I. i. 16 Which [house-clock] strikes every hour, chimes the quarters, and plays Rule Britannia and the hundreth psalm tune, two hundred and fifty times in the four and twenty hours.
1908 E. Fowler Between Trent & Ancholme 50 The tune (‘Oxford’) was brought by our grandfather from thence.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > system of sounds or intervals > [noun] > medieval mode
mannera1382
tonea1500
the eight tunes1597
mode1721
mode1782
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 147 The churchmen for keeping their Keyes haue deuised certaine notes commonlie called the eight tunes, so that according to the tune which is to be obserued,..if it beginne in such a key, it may end in such and such others. Annot., The eight tunes... The tunes (which are also called modi musici) the practitioners do define, to be a rule whereby the melodie of euerie song is directed.
d. (In full, act-tune.) A piece of music played between the acts of a play. Cf. entr'acte n.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [noun] > entr'acte piece
entr'acte1841
act-tune1889
1889 W. H. Husk in Grove Dict. Music at Tune In the latter half of the 17th century and first quarter of the 18th century act-tunes were composed specially for every play... But act-tunes, now styled ‘Entr'actes’, have been occasionally composed in modern times.
1891 Cent. Dict. Tune... 4. Same as entr'acte. Sometimes called act-tune.
e. the tune the (old) cow died of: humorously applied to a grotesque or unmusical succession of sounds, or a tedious ill-played piece of music. Also the tune the cat died of.Supposed to refer to an ‘old ballad’ in which a piper who had nothing else to give his cow ‘took his pipe and played a tune, and bade the cow consider’. See Notes & Queries 11th Ser. XI. 309.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [noun] > ill-played piece
the tune the (old) cow died of1820
the tune the cat died of1943
1820 M. Wilmot Let. 4 May (1935) 60 I am made laugh heartily three times a week..when they cut capers in the air with solemn faces, to the tune which the old Cow died of.
1836 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) II. 218 The tune the old cow died of throughout, grunts and groans of instruments.
1943 H. C. Bailey Mr. Fortune finds Pig xxxvi. 140 What are they singing?.. It sounds like the tune the cat died of.
3.
a. The state of being in the proper pitch; correct intonation in singing, or in instrumental music; agreement in pitch, unison, or harmony (with something): mostly in in or out of tune; cf. tone n. 2b, 2c. Also, simply, the pitch of a musical note (quot. 1694, obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > [adverb]
in (good, true) musica1382
in or out of tunec1450
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > [adverb] > out of tune
in or out of tunec1450
false1598
out1598
off-key1899
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > [noun]
pitch1597
key1600
tune1694
keynote1762
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 82 Whanne an harpe is weel sett in tewne.
1483 Cath. Angl. 396/1 Oute of Tune, dissonus,..discors.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) i. 56 That all the notes be songe, as they ar in youre bokes, eche of them in theyre owne tewne.
1530 J. Rastell New Bk. Purgatory ii. xviii. sig. ev Whan his harpe is out of tune.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. iii To set all the strynges in a monacorde and tune.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Hamlet (1623) iii. i. 161 Like sweet Bels iangled out of tune [1604 time], and harsh.
1617–18 in H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 167 For keeping the Organ in tune.
1694 W. Holder Treat. Harmony ii. 6 The Tune of a Note..is constituted by the Measure and Proportion of Vibrations of the sonorous Body.
1707 I. Watts Hymns & Spiritual Songs ii. 95 Strange! that a Harp of thousand strings Should keep in Tune so long.
1774 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 63 268 The B flat of the spinnet..was perfectly in tune with the great bell of St. Paul's.
1884 Ld. Tennyson Becket Prol. 16 My voice is harsh here, not in tune.
b. figurative in in tune, out of tune, in or out of order or proper condition; in or out of harmony with some person or thing; (also) of a motor car or aeroplane: in a state of efficiency for running or flying. (See also sense 4, and cf. tone n. 2c.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > in (proper) order [phrase]
in point1481
in ordera1500
in tune1535
kilter1621
in punto1631
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > in disorder [phrase]
at or on six and sevenOE
out of kinda1375
out of rulea1387
out of tonea1400
out of joint1415
out of nockc1520
out of tracea1529
out of order1530
out of tune1535
out of square1555
out of kilter1582
off the hinges?1608
out of (the) hinges?1608
in, out of gear1814
out of gearing1833
off the rails1848
on the bumc1870
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > disharmony or incongruity > out of harmony [phrase]
out of tune1535
at variance1709
out of character1782
out of harmony1853
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > useless [phrase] > unserviceable
out of order1530
out of commission1533
out of tune1638
on the blink1901
on the fritz1924
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > in agreement or harmony (with) [phrase]
in onea1400
according1523
in unison1604
of a piece1607
in concert1618
in consort1634
in tone1647
at unison1661
of a piece with1665
true1735
in suit with1797
in harmony1816
of a suit with1886
in tune1887
in key1919
tuned in1958
all-of-a-piece1960
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 390 On euerie syde thair wes richt mony slane, Or tha culd weill be put in tune agane.
1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 280/2 How many occasions are there to bring vs out of tune?
1605 S. Rowlands Hell's broke Loose 21 If Siluer in my Pockets do not ring, All's out of tune with mee in eu'ry thing.
1638 W. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 282 Fire-locks..are not mendable when out of tune.
c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 332 If our bodies be out of tune so are our minds too.
1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. v. 100 If you have a Horse in good Tune and Order.
1887 H. R. Haggard Jess xi. 96 Bessie's mind was not quite in tune with the profundities of that learned journal.
1911 Times 19 July 8/4 The airmen..left Amesbury on their Bristol biplanes... The machines were in splendid ‘tune’.
c. Phrenology. The faculty of perception of musical pitch, and thus of melody and harmony.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > faculty psychology > psychological study of the skull > [noun] > musical faculty
tune1860
society > leisure > the arts > music > music appreciation > [noun] > faculty of perception of music
tune1860
1860 R. G. Mayne Expos. Lexicon Med. Sci. Tune. Phrenol., a faculty (its organ at the lateral part of the forehead immediately above Number and Order) giving the perception of harmony and melody.
d. transferred. Harmony or accordance in respect of vibrations other than those of sound; spec. between the transmitter and receiver in wireless telegraphy.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > [noun] > tuning or mistuning
tuning1899
tune1909
mistuning1914
fine tuning1915
synchronization1932
synchronizing1943
1909 Westm. Gaz. 29 Apr. 5/3 You see, we must have a commercial or general ‘tune’, and when that is known any person installing the same ‘tune’ can intercept the messages... No one could intercept messages in such a case unless they had instruments of the same ‘tune’.
1909 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) To place the receiver of a system of wireless telegraphy in tune with the transmitter so as to respond to impulses given out by the latter.
a. Style, manner, or ‘tone’ (of discourse or writing). Obsolete. (Cf. tone n. 5d.)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > [noun]
writingc1350
mannerc1375
pena1387
langue?a1400
indite1501
rate1517
conveyance?1521
composition1532
turn1533
set1535
tune1537
style1577
composure1601
way1612
language1699
rhetoricity1921
1537 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 74 I must nedes now..write unto you in an other tune.
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 107 Missive letters..in this tune; To Ætius thrice Consvl, the grones of Britans.
b. to sing another tune (etc.): figurative to change one's tone, speak in a different strain. (Often directly figurative from 1 or 2.)to change one's tune: see change v. Phrases 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > change of opinion > change one's mind [phrase]
to pick (also peck) mooda1225
to turn, wend the luff?c1225
to sing another song or a different tune1390
to waive (one's) wit1390
to change one's minda1500
to change (turn, alter) one's copy1523
to turn (one's) tippet1546
to change one's note1560
to shift hands1611
to face about1645
to change (swap) horses in midstream (while crossing a stream)1864
to sing another tune1890
1524 in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) VI. 349 Percace the said Frenche King wolde by this tyme have spoken of an other toyne.
1890 G. A. Henty With Lee in Virginia 124 I imagine he would sing a different tune if the blue coats ever get to Richmond.
5. figurative. Frame of mind, temper, mood, disposition, humour: cf. tone n. 8.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > disposition or character > [noun]
heartOE
erda1000
moodOE
i-mindOE
i-cundeOE
costc1175
lundc1175
evena1200
kinda1225
custc1275
couragec1300
the manner ofc1300
qualityc1300
talentc1330
attemperancec1374
complexionc1386
dispositiona1387
propertyc1390
naturea1393
assay1393
inclinationa1398
gentlenessa1400
proprietya1400
habitudec1400
makingc1400
conditionc1405
habitc1405
conceitc1425
affecta1460
ingeny1477
engine1488
stomach?1510
mind?a1513
ingine1533
affection1534
vein1536
humour?1563
natural1564
facultyc1565
concept1566
frame1567
temperature1583
geniusa1586
bent1587
constitution1589
composition1597
character1600
tune1600
qualification1602
infusion1604
spirits1604
dispose1609
selfness1611
disposure1613
composurea1616
racea1616
tempera1616
crasisc1616
directiona1639
grain1641
turn1647
complexure1648
genie1653
make1674
personality1710
tonea1751
bearing1795
liver1800
make-up1821
temperament1821
naturalness1850
selfhood1854
Wesen1854
naturel1856
sit1857
fibre1864
character structure1873
mentality1895
mindset1909
psyche1910
where it's (he's, she's) at1967
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > state of feeling or mood > [noun]
moodOE
cheerc1225
affecta1398
statec1450
mindc1460
stomach1476
spiritc1480
humour1525
vein1577
frame1579
tune1600
tempera1628
transport1658
air1678
tift1717
disposition1726
spite1735
tonea1751
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iv. 38 Hero How now? do you speake in the sicke tune? Beat. I am out of all other tune, me thinkes. View more context for this quotation
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xvii. 40 [Lear] some time in his better tune remembers, What we are come about. View more context for this quotation
1647 T. Calvert Heart-salve 33 This is the tone & tune of men in distresse.
a1691 J. Flavell Faithful Narr. Sea-deliv. in Wks. (1701) II. 72 Our Fancies were out of Tune to be pleasant with any thing.
1786 R. Burns Holy Fair xxvi, in Poems 53 They're a' in famous tune For crack that day.
1833 T. Moore Mem. (1854) VI. 335 Being in but bad tune for a fête.
6. Phrases. to the tune of (figurative from 2):† a. According to the gist of, in accordance with. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > a standard of conduct > standard of conduct [phrase] > in conformity to or with
to the tune of1607
in conformity to1628
in conformity with1794
1607 S. Hieron Mariage-blessing in Wks. (1620) I. 405 Singing nothing but to the tune of Judas ‘What will ye give me?’
1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. (ed. 2) II. 95 This is exactly to the tune of the old popular objection.
b. To the amount or sum of. So to some tune (to a considerable extent), etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > [phrase] > to the amount of
to the tune of1692
up to ——1892
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > greatly or very much [phrase] > to a considerable degree
in good measurec1225
a quantityc1330
in mannerc1425
not meanly1533
in (a) great (also large, good, ample, etc.) measure1581
to some tune1692
1692 R. L'Estrange Fables (1694) ccclvi. 372 This came to the Bishop's Ear, who presently sent for the Curate, Rattled him to some Tune.
1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 296 To Libel the Bishop..by exhibiting Articles against him to the Tune of 56.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 134 To go over..into Flanders, to be knock'd on the Head at the Tune of Three and Six-pence a Week.
1797 Wonderf. Advant. Lottery (Cheap Repos. Tr.) 8 I had demands on me yesterday to the tune of 300 l.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas III. vii. xvi. 225 Other articles were much to the same tune.
1874 Punch 22 Aug. 76/2 A defaulter to the imposing tune of £10,000.
1883 Manch. Examiner 24 Nov. 5/1 His peasant countrymen..have been spoiled and pilled, and whipt to every tune.
Compounds
tune-grinder, tune-hummer, tune-maker, tune-phrase, tune-tinkler, tune-weaving; tune-composed, tune-led, tune-skilled adjs.
ΚΠ
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 66 Their Tune-skill'd feet in so true Time doo fall.
1756 Connoisseur No. 138. 832 The Whistlers or Tune-hummers, who never articulate at all.
1795 J. Wolcot Frogmore Fête in Wks. (1812) III. 315 Musicians and racers, tunegrinders and dancers.
1816 J. Gilchrist Philos. Etymol. 234 A tune-composed style.
1898 T. Hardy Wessex Poems 118 She trod the flags with tune-led feet.
1901 Palestine Exploration Fund Q. Statem. Oct. 420 One tune-phrase, repeated to every line, serves for a whole song.
Draft additions 1993
Linguistics. The intonation pattern of a word or other unit of discourse.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > intonation, pitch, or stress > [noun] > intonation > pattern or sequence of
pitch curve1902
tune1929
intonation tune1934
intonation curve1936
pitch contour1944
intonation contour1945
intonation pattern1966
1929 I. C. Ward Phonetics of Eng. xiv. 138 It matters little if one puts extra breath force on /wɜː'ʃɪp/..so long as the same ‘tune’ is kept.
1957 S. Potter Mod. Linguistics iii. 71 We detect two main end-of-sentence tunes in English which turn on the last strongly stressed syllable as on a hinge or pivot... Tune 1 falls after the turn... Tune 2 rises after the turn.
1975 Language 51 566 Tunen has many pairs of nouns of identical phonemic content which have identical tunes in neutral position, but different tunes when placed in contexts occasioning tonal change.
1989 J. Honey Does Accent Matter? i. 5 Intonation is the ‘tune’ of a sentence, which in standard English usually differs between a statement and a question.
Draft additions 1993
A tuning of an engine, etc., to improve its efficiency; also, the state or condition of a mechanism as regards tuning, or the setting to which it has been tuned.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > [noun] > adjustment for accuracy or smooth operation
squaring1838
truing1852
tuning1863
calibrating1897
fine tuning1915
tune-up1933
tune1971
tweaking1975
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > [noun] > adjustment for accuracy or smooth operation > condition as regards
tune1971
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > [noun] > modifying to increase power or efficiency
brewing-up1953
souping1960
tune1971
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > mechanism > [noun] > tuning of
tune1971
1971 Guardian 23 Mar. 18/3 A tune came to three times what I'd bargained for.
1977 Austral. Sailing Jan. 40/2 In particular, the ability of the Europeans to point higher than us (when we were using the rig and tune we used in the Australian trials).
1982 P. Dickinson Last House-party iv. 53 The engine could do with a tune, but I think the real trouble's..the transmission.
1984 N. Whittall Compl. Hang Gliding Guide vi. 92 Newcomers to CFKs will get on better with the glider in a ‘soft’ state of tune.
1986 Airgun World Sept. 39/2 It certainly isn't a tune by conventional standards, with a little re-shaping, polishing and lubricating but a complete conversion.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
tunev.
1.
a. transitive. To adjust the tones of (a musical instrument) to a standard of pitch; to bring into condition for producing the required sounds correctly; to put in tune. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > tune [verb (transitive)]
temperc1300
set?1473
tune1505
entune1523
modulatec1570
retune1606
to tune upa1718
attune1728
1505 Tower of Doctrine xxvi, in Percy's Reliq. With goodly pypes, in their mouthes ituned.
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) i. xvi. sig. f.i A synguler mynstrell..Toyned his instrument, in pleasaunte armony.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 763/2 I pray you, tune my virgynalles.
1567 Triall of Treasure sig. Biv I must tune my pipes first of all with drinking.
1584 R. Greene Arbasto 7 I thought..that where fortune once tuned, in the strings could neuer be founde anie discord.
1597 1st Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus v. i. 1978 Letts tune our instruments.
1638 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) II. 142 Mr Dallam for tuneing the Organ.
1681 J. Dryden Spanish Fryar ii. ii. 21 Tune your Harps Ye Angels to that sound.
1871 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) I. iii. 81 These two tuning-forks are tuned absolutely alike.
b. To adapt (the voice, song, etc.) to a particular tone, or to the expression of a particular feeling or subject; to modify or modulate the tones of, according to the purpose in view.†In 1688, to adapt (a song) to a particular instrument (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > modulate voice
modulatec1570
tune1596
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. x. sig. Hh2 Nymphes and Faeries..To the waters fall tuning their accents fit. View more context for this quotation
1645 J. Milton Passion ii, in Poems 17 For now to sorrow must I tune my song.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 201/2 Odes [are] Songs Tuned to the Lute, or other Instrument.
1712 A. Pope tr. Ovid Sapho to Phaon in tr. Ovid Epist. (ed. 8) 7 Love..tun'd my Heart to Elegies of Woe.
1751 Transl. & Paraphr. Ch. Scot. xliii. iv His presence fills each heart with joy: tunes every mouth to sing.
1856 C. M. Yonge Cameos xxxvi, in Monthly Packet Jan. 10 The bards tuned their songs to recall the indignities of Islington.
c. transferred. To adapt, put into accordance, or make responsive, in respect of some physical quality or condition; e.g. an organ or organism in relation to a particular stimulus, or the transmitter and receiver in wireless telegraphy. spec. To make (a radio or television) sensitive to a chosen signal frequency or wavelength; to adjust (any device or component) by varying its operational frequency. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > communicate by radio [verb (transitive)] > tune
tune1887
attune1899
to tune out1908
to tune in1913
mistune1914
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > operation of electronic devices > [verb (transitive)] > tune
tune1887
1887 J. N. Lockyer Chem. of Sun vii. 87 Ears are tuned to hear different sounds.
1899 Notices Proc. Royal Inst. Great Brit. 15 475 It is easy to transmit many messages in any direction at the same time. It is only necessary to tune the transmitters and receivers to the same frequency or ‘note’... Tuning is very easy.
1900 Daily News 6 Sept. 2/4 ‘Tapping’ the messages is quite impossible, the transmitter and receiver being so ‘tuned’ or synchronized to each other that no message can be received except by the instrument for which it is intended.
1904 Electr. World & Engineer 11 June 1120 The distance between the transmitter and receiver was varied from two meters to twenty meters. No effort was made to ‘tune’ the circuits.
1915 W. H. Eccles Wireless Telegr. & Teleph. 304 The primary— i.e., the antenna—is tuned to the incoming waves.
1943 C. L. Boltz Basic Radio xii. 192 At the transmitter..the LC circuit is tuned to produce free oscillations at a chosen frequency.
1972 Daily Tel. 3 Mar. (Colour Suppl.) 17 For several months an 85 foot radio telescope, tuned to 21 centimetres, was aimed at the stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani.
1974 Guardian 23 Mar. 10/1 The kind of programme listeners tune to, broadcasters respect, and disc critics certainly rarely miss.
1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xiii. 74 Solid-state microwave masers can be tuned over a wide range of frequencies by adjustment of an external magnetic field.
d. transferred. To set (a machine, etc.) in order for accurate working (local); to adjust. In modern use, to adjust (an engine or part) to improve its efficiency or some other attribute; also with the vehicle or craft as obj. (Cf. tuner n. 2b) See also to tune up 3 at Phrasal verbs, and tuning n. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > adapt or adjust [verb (transitive)] > adjust for accuracy
rectify?a1560
regulate1665
tune1814
true1838
truth1874
set1879
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > adapt or adjust [verb (transitive)] > adjust for use or smooth operation
rig1627
fix1663
tune1916
1814 W. Nicholson in A. Trotter E. Galloway Sketches (1901) 44/1 I wot a pleugh he weel could tune.
1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Tuning, a term used in Yorkshire synonymous with the term ‘tackling’..; it means repairing, &c. a loom when it breaks down and keeping it generally in order.
1905 Eng. Dial. Dict. VI. 265/1 He tunes his own loom [W. Yorks.]
1916 R. T. Nicholson Bk. of Ford 151 You know now how to ‘tune’ your carburetter for the best results.
1931 T. E. Lawrence Let. 10 June (1938) 724 The R.A.F. detached me to Hythe on special duty, to test and tune their new-type speed-boats for the Schneider Cup.
1955 Times 23 Aug. 7/6 The Rootes Group have chosen..an engine..and have tuned it for economy and longevity rather than maximum efficiency.
1978 R. Westall Devil on Road i. 3 I can strip her [sc. a motor-bike] in a day and put it all back. Tuned her like Yehudi Menuhin's violin.
2. figurative. To ‘put in tune’ (with various shades of meaning).
a. To bring into a proper or desirable condition; to give a special tone or character (esp. of a good kind) to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > put in (proper) order [verb (transitive)]
rightlOE
attire1330
ettlea1350
to set (also put) in rulea1387
redress1389
dress?a1400
fettlea1400
governc1405
yraylle1426
direct1509
settlec1530
tune1530
instruct1534
rede1545
commodate1595
square1596
concinnate1601
concinnea1620
rectify1655
fix1663
to put (also bring) into repair1673
arrange1802
pipeclay1806
to get together1810
to do up1886
to jack up1939
1530 J. Rastell New Bk. Purgatory ii. xviii. sig. ev Curynge & tunyng his body.
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre ii. xviii. 68 All his life was religiously tuned.
1820 H. Fuseli Lect. Painting II. v. 50 Violent foreshortening, set off and tuned by magic light and shade.
1866 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighbourhood xiii The place.. tuned me to a solemn mood.
b. To bring into accord or harmony; to attune. Also intransitive for reflexive to attune itself, to harmonize (quot. 1653).
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the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > make friends with [verb (transitive)] > make friendly or familiar > bring into accord or harmony
tunea1593
a1593 C. Marlowe Edward II (1594) sig. G4 Thou art deceiude..To thinke that we can yet be tun'd together.
1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre iv. 137 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Mens judgements ever thus tune to that which pleases their wills.
a1711 T. Ken Hymnotheo in Wks. (1721) III. 310 They both were tun'd with equal Sympathy.
c. To put into a proper condition for producing some effect; to adapt to a particular purpose; esp. to make subservient to one's own ends.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > adapt or adjust [verb (transitive)] > bring into conformity > adjust to a standard or purpose
trick1552
just1558
tune1581
pitch1624
adjust1636
justen1659
trim1779
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) iii. 168 b The maister is troubled to tune his new seruaunts to his fancie.
1636 W. Scot Apol. Narr. (1846) 93 Mr. Thomas Buchanan tuned and tutored him as he saw it fitting.
a1722 J. Lauder Decisions (1759) I. 184 A Scots Council is instantly called, who..fly very high, as they had been tuned.
1868 J. H. Blunt Reformation Church of Eng. I. 161 The most effective way, except the pulpit, of tuning public opinion.
1882 J. H. Blunt Reformation Church of Eng. II. 483 The pulpits were industriously tuned by means of lecturers.
3.
a. intransitive. To give forth a musical sound; to sound; to sing.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > pleasantness of sound > sound pleasantly [verb (intransitive)] > sound musical or harmonious
tunea1527
a1527 W. Peeris Prov. in Anglia (1892) 14 478 A shawme makithe a swete sounde for he tunythe basse.
1579 [implied in: T. Lodge Protogenes 26 A doleful tuner. (at tuner n. 1a)].
1627 [implied in: M. Drayton Shepheards Sirena in Battaile Agincourt 147 Our mournefull Philomell, that rarest Tuner. (at tuner n. 1a)].
1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 254 Sentimental and rapturous tunings that rise up..from eternity to eternity.
1906 Westm. Gaz. 10 Nov. 14/2 Last week..I heard a blackbird tuning.
1907 J. Galsworthy Country House i. i Like a breeze tuning through the frigid silence of a fog.
b. with to: To sing or sound in tune with (intransitive of 1b).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > tune [verb (transitive)] > be in tune with
tune1627
1627 M. Drayton Quest of Cynthia in Battaile Agincourt 139 Tuning to the waters fall, The small Birds sang to her.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Tune, to form one sound to another.
c. To utter inarticulate musical notes or melody; to hum. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > hum
humc1485
tune1755
noodle1897
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. To Tune, v.n...2. To utter with the voice inarticulate harmony.
1848 A. B. Evans Leicestershire Words (at cited word) My children could tune before they could speak.
1882 Ogilvie's Imperial Dict. (new ed.)
4. † b. To set or start the tune for (a hymn, etc. in public worship), as a precentor. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To utter or express (something) musically, to sing; to celebrate in music. poetic or archaic.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform (music) [verb (transitive)] > express in music
tune1594
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. H3v The little birds that tune their mornings ioy. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 196 Fountains and yee, that warble, as ye flow, Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise. View more context for this quotation
1679 J. Dryden & N. Lee Oedipus i. 11 Rouze up ye Thebans; tune your Jo Pæans!
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 87 To Bacchus..let us tune our Lays. View more context for this quotation
1793 R. Burns Poems (ed. 2) II. 189 As he tuned his doleful sang.
a1814 A. Burn in Mem. (1816) iii. 135 Tuning a hymn of thanksgiving to her praise.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > church music > [verb (transitive)] > sing or chant > lead singing > as precentor
precent1639
tune1667
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (transitive)] > precent
set?c1450
to take up1577
precent1639
tune1667
line1853
hist1857
1667 S. Pepys Diary 21 Apr. (1974) VIII. 174 The organ, which is handsome and tunes the psalm.
1679 Marriage Chas. II 10 The Cardinal tun'd the Te deum, which was sung with musick.
1895 J. Brown Pilgrim Fathers xi. 349 The ‘tuning the psalm’ as it was called was left to some member of the congregation who volunteered the performance.
5. To produce music from, to play upon (an instrument), esp. the lyre. poetic.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > playing stringed instrument > play stringed instrument [verb (transitive)] > play lyre
tune1706
1706 J. Addison Epil. in G. Granville Brit. Enchanters sig. A4 When Orpheus tun'd his Lyre..Rivers forgot to run, and Winds to blow.
1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. iii. 16 To tune to Theban Sounds the Roman Lyres.
6. intransitive. Of a radio, etc.: to be capable of being tuned.
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > communicate by radio [verb (intransitive)] > be capable of being tuned
tune1922
1922 Wireless World 1 July 435/1 Will the Reinartz Tuner tune to any wavelength by means of external coils?
1930 J. H. Reyner Testing Radio Sets iv. 55 It may be found that the circuit does not tune correctly when the aerial is connected to its proper terminal.
1970 J. Earl How to choose Tuners & Amplifiers i. 23 The f.m. section will..tune over Band II, usually from about 88 to 108MHz.
Phrasal verbs
With adverbs. to tune in to tune off to tune out to tune up
1. intransitive. To strike into a chorus; to interpose in a conversation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] > interpose in a conversation
to cut in1830
chime in1838
to chip in1869
to tune in1912
1912 World 7 May 680/1 The..Passenger is preparing to continue the cross-examination, when an old lady carrying a long broom tunes in.
2. transitive and intransitive. To tune a radio or television to (a particular station or transmission, or a particular frequency). Frequently to tune in on or in to. Also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > broadcasting > audience > [verb (intransitive)] > tune to specific channel
to tune in1913
society > communication > broadcasting > audience > [verb (transitive)] > tune to specific channel
to tune in on or in to1913
to dial in1931
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > communicate by radio [verb (intransitive)] > tune
to tune in1913
to tune off1957
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > communicate by radio [verb (transitive)] > tune
tune1887
attune1899
to tune out1908
to tune in1913
mistune1914
1913 Wireless World Apr. p. xxxviii/1 It is possible to tune out one ship or station and tune in others.
1919 Wireless World May 105/2 Operators at the various Government wireless stations in and about town, who promptly ‘tuned in’ and listened.
1922 Westm. Gaz. 12 Dec. While listening-in on a Lincoln wireless company's apparatus..Mr. H. Mawer was successful in tuning in to an American broadcasting station.
1925 Scribner's Mag. July 46/1 With deft fingers the Cap'n tuned the symphony in—tuned it out a couple of times by mistake and finally brought it in closer and closer.
1929 S. W. Cheney Theatre xxiv. 536 A million or so people may..sit in their parlors and ‘tune in’ on a song by Al Jolson or a scene from Twelfth Night.
1935 S. Lewis It can't happen Here v. 50 He tuned in on a program of old songs.
1936 W. H. Auden & C. Isherwood Ascent of F6 (1937) II. iii. 102 Turn off the wireless. Tune in to another station.
1956 R. M. Lester Towards Hereafter 18 This higher range of inspirational thought is constantly being radiated, and each one of us in his own capacity can tune into it.
1957 A. C. Clarke Deep Range xii. 104 This was a simple enough task for the sub's frequency converters; if he wished, Franklin could tune in to any sounds from almost a million cycles a second down to vibrations as sluggish as the slow opening of an ancient, rusty door.
1964 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 12 Jan. (1970) 42 We tuned in on my TV appearance in ‘The Week That Was’.
1976 Shooting Times & Country Mag. 16 Dec. 30/3 The Indians when on a hunt think of anything but their quarry, as they believe that the hunted can ‘tune in’ on their thoughts.
1977 ‘J. Fraser’ Hearts Ease in Death vii. 61 You make it sound like a radio serial. Tune in next week for the latest episode.
3. figurative. To become mentally receptive to, or aware of; to comprehend. Const. as preceding sense.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive, be aware of [verb (intransitive)]
tellc1390
to be perceiveda1400
to take cognizance of1635
notice1820
waken1825
to wake to1836
to take notice1845
to tune in1926
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)] > reach understanding of
reach1582
tumble1846
to catch on1882
waken1899
to wise up1905
to tune in1926
to cotton on1929
plug1948
latch1954
1926 Variety 29 Dec. 5/4 Those fortunate individuals who can tune in on the conversation of a flock of cannons and follow it without the aid of a central office dick or an interpreter.
1961 A. Miller Misfits ii. 18 His mind is constantly trying to tune in on the world, but the message is never clear.
1977 R. Gadney Champagne Marxist xiii. 84 He'd been so slow in tuning in to the presence of an intruder.
4. figurative. To harmonize with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > agree, harmonize, or be congruous with [verb (transitive)]
conspirec1384
accorda1393
to stand with ——c1449
to sit with ——a1500
correspond1545
resound1575
square1583
quader1588
to comport with1591
sympathize1594
beset1597
range1600
even1602
consort1607
to run with ——1614
countenancea1616
hita1616
sympathy1615
filea1625
quadrate?1630
consist1638
commensurate1643
commensure1654
to strike in1704
jig1838
harmonize1852
chime in with1861
equate1934
to tie in1938
to tune in1938
to tie up1958
1938 L. MacNeice I crossed Minch ii. 25 I had a passion for the wild... This tuned in with my other passions for the antique, the fantastic,..and the Irish.
1. intransitive. To get out of ‘tune’ or adjustment.
ΚΠ
1736 Neve's City & Country Purchaser's & Builder's Dict. (ed. 3) sig. Mm2 Raking-Work, that which (..in Mouldings, etc.) is to be join'd by Mitering exactly, to prevent the Work tuneing off, as Workmen call it, after 'tis put together.
2. transitive and intransitive = to tune out at Phrasal verbs. Also figurative. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > communicate by radio [verb (intransitive)] > tune
to tune in1913
to tune off1957
1926 G. H. Maines & B. Grant Wise-crack Dict. 14/1 Tune off that station, change the conversation.
1931 F. A. Arnold Broadcast Advertising 140 The public has its own method of self protection. The listener may..tune off and find some program less offensive.
1957 Pract. Wireless 33 721/1 When the input signal decreases, as one tunes off the station, the valve will conduct.
1. transitive. To eliminate reception of (a radio signal of a particular frequency) by tuning.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > communicate by radio [verb (transitive)] > tune
tune1887
attune1899
to tune out1908
to tune in1913
mistune1914
1908 Rep. Brit. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 1907 621 It is easy to hear the ships in the Channel, but it is also easy to tune everything out and listen to the desired station alone.
1925 Scribner's Mag. July 46/1 With deft fingers the Cap'n tuned the symphony in—tuned it out a couple of times by mistake and finally brought it in closer and closer.
1957 Pract. Wireless 33 722/1 When..the signal is tuned out, the voltage at point A drops.
1970 J. Earl How to choose Tuners & Amplifiers ii. 47 The filter tunes out the 19kHz pilot carrier.
1981 G. MacBeth Kind of Treason xiii. 124 Strand was kneeling at the radio. He found the station and tuned the static out.
2. figurative. To disregard; to cease listening to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > inattention > ignoring, disregard > ignore, disregard [verb (transitive)] > refuse to hear
unheara1300
sitc1300
to tune out1928
to sign off1957
1928 T. E. Lawrence Let. 1 May (1938) 599 In the East..you hear everything that's happening, and a great deal more. The selective ear tunes out the false news.
1969 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 5 July 28 If you don't like what I say, you can tune me out.
1970 E. G. Olim in S. Rogers Children & Language (1975) v. 322 He learns, as a result of failure and frustration in school, either to tune out the school or to adopt a defiant, rebellious attitude towards it.
1978 G. A. Sheehan Running & Being iii. 38 I have the ability to tune out what is going on around me.
1. transitive and intransitive. To raise one's voice (in song or otherwise), to sing out (cf. 3).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [verb (intransitive)] > raise voice
to tune up1701
pipe1889
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > impart specific tone or quality [verb (transitive)] > raise voice
uphancec1390
raise1603
exalt1611
elevate1618
to tune up1701
1701 G. Stanhope tr. St. Augustine Pious Breathings 54 Let us tune our voices up by theirs.
1763 T. Smith Jrnl. (1849) 274 The robin and spring birds begin to tune up.
1895 J. G. Millais Breath from Veldt vi. 135 I have heard an old cow tune up in like manner.
2. transitive. To bring (an instrument) up to the proper pitch, to put in tune (= 1); also figurative (cf. 2). Now usually absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > tune [verb (transitive)]
temperc1300
set?1473
tune1505
entune1523
modulatec1570
retune1606
to tune upa1718
attune1728
a1718 W. Penn Maxims in Wks. (1726) I. 830 We are too apt to awaken and tune up their [Children's] Passions by the Example of our own.
1776 R. Graves Euphrosyne i. 224 Each Cockney that tunes up his lyre.
1869 W. S. Gilbert Bab Ballads 182 He requested them to tune up and begin.
1902 V. Jacob Sheep-stealers x The band began to tune up, and a general feeling of expectation pervaded the building.
1929 W. Faulkner Sound & Fury 31 ‘Now you got to tune up.’ Dilsey said.
1981 A. Schlee Rhine Journey xii. 154 Already the orchestra was tuning up for the next waltz.
3. To put (a machine, a racing vessel, etc.) into the most efficient working order (cf. 1d).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > prepare [verb (transitive)] > prepare apparatus or machinery
rig1797
to tune up1901
to set up1922
1901 Daily Chron. 24 Aug. 5/7 The..captain will keep all hands at work tuning her [a yacht] up until she is able to show all the speed she has in her.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 31 Dec. 4/2 The art of tuning up a car is understood by very few amateurs, who..are satisfied with results which could be improved upon.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.a1387
v.1505- shelf sea
- shelf space
- shelf-board
- shelf-bracket
- shelf-catalogue
- shelf-ful
- shelf-furnace
- shelf-like
- shelf-list
- shelf-lister
- shelf-load
- shelf-mark
- shelf-marking
- shelf-occupant
- shelf-piece
- shelf-plate
- shelf-press
- shelf-spoiled
- shelf-warmer
- shelfboard
- shelfbracket
- shelfcatalogue
- shelfed
- shelfful
- shelffuls