tönen

From Middle High German dœnen, *tœnen, derived from tōn, whence modern Ton (“tone, sound”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtøːnən/, [ˈtøːnən], [ˈtøːnn̩]

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tönen (third-person singular simple present tönt, past tense tönte, past participle getönt, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to give a loud and far-reaching sound

   Die Kirchglocken tönten durch die Gassen.

   The church bells were sounding through the narrow streets.

2. (intransitive, Switzerland) to sound; to give or have a sound

   Diese beiden Wörter tönen ähnlich.

   These two words sound similar.

3. (intransitive, informal) to boast; to brag (particularly about an intention to do something)

   Vor dem Spiel hatte der Gegner getönt, er würde uns „vernichten“.

   Before the game, the other team had bragged they would “annihilate” us.

4. (transitive, of hair) to dye with a weak colouring that gives the hair a new tone rather than an entirely different colour; to tint

   Sie hatte ihre Haare mit Henna getönt.

   She had dyed her hair with henna.

• (give a far-reaching sound): dröhnen
• (sound, Switzerland): klingen (the general word)

• Tönen
• Tönung
• tönend
• abtönen
• ertönen
• übertönen