Accentuate
/ækˈsen.tʃu.eɪt/noun
To emphasize or give special importance to something.
Did you know?Its ancestor is Latin *accentus*, “the tone put on a syllable,” from *ad-* “to” + *cantus* “song,” so the word’s roots are tied to singing, not just stressing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kan-
“to sing”
Latin
Latin
cantus
“song; singing”
Latin
Latin
accentus
“a raised tone of voice; speech stress”
Late Latin
Latin
accentuāre
“to mark with an accent; to emphasize”
Middle French
Old French
accentuer
“to accent, stress”
Modern English
English
accentuate
“to emphasize; to make more noticeable”