atone

See also: at one

English

WOTD – 19 February 2009

Etymology

From atone (“reconciled”), from Middle English atone, attone, atoon (“agreed”, literally “at one”), equivalent to at +‎ one. Compare Latin adūnō (“I unite, make one”) for the similar formation. Regarding the different phonological development of atone and one, see the note in one.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈtəʊn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈtoʊn/, [əˈtʰoʊ̯n]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊn

Verb

atone (third-person singular simple present atones, present participle atoning, simple past and past participle atoned)

1. (ambitransitive) To make reparation, compensation, amends or satisfaction for an offence, crime, mistake or deficiency. [from 1680s]

   Synonyms: expiate, propitiate

2. (obsolete, transitive) To bring at one or at concordance; to reconcile; to suffer appeasement. [from 1570s]
3. (obsolete, intransitive) To agree or accord; to be in accordance or harmony. [from 1590s]
4. (obsolete, transitive) To unite in making.
5. (proscribed) To absolve (someone else) of wrongdoing, especially by standing as an equivalent.

Derived terms

• atonable
• atoneable
• atonement
• atoner
• atoningly
• unatoned
• unatoning

Translations

to make reparation, compensation, or amends, for an offence or a crime

• Arabic: كَفَّرَ عَنْ (kaffara ʕan)
• Armenian: քավել (hy) (kʻavel)
• Bulgarian: изкупвам (bg) (izkupvam)
• Czech: odčinit
• Danish: sone (da), godtgøre
• Dutch: goedmaken (nl), compenseren (nl)
• Finnish: hyvittää (fi), sovittaa (fi)
• French: expier (fr)
• German: wiedergutmachen (de), kompensieren (de), gutmachen (de), Ersatz leisten, büßen (de), sühnen (de), Sühne leisten, Buße tun, Wiedergutmachung leisten
• Hungarian: vezekel (hu), jóvátesz (hu)
• Italian: espiare (it)
• Japanese: 償う (ja) (tsugunau)
• Latin: expiō
• Maori: whakamārie
• Old English: ġebētan
• Polish: odpokutowywać impf, odpokutować (pl) pf, pokutować (pl) impf, zadośćuczynić pf
• Portuguese: redimir (pt)
• Romanian: ispăși (ro)
• Russian: возмеща́ть (ru) impf (vozmeščátʹ), компенси́ровать (ru) impf (kompensírovatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan rèite
• Spanish: expiar (es)
• Swedish: sona (sv), gottgöra (sv)

to clear someone else of wrongdoing

• Armenian: թողություն տալ (tʻoġutʻyun tal)
• Bulgarian: изкупвам (bg) (izkupvam)
• Finnish: hyvittää (fi), sovittaa (fi)
• French: expier (fr)
• Romanian: ispăși (ro)
• Russian: искупа́ть (ru) impf (iskupátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: thoir èirig
• Spanish: expiar (es)
• Swedish: försona (sv), förlåta (sv)

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “atone”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “atone”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “atone”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• Eaton, neato, Onate, Aneto, oaten

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἄτονος (átonos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.tɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

atone (plural atones)

1. expressionless
2. (linguistics) unstressed
3. (linguistics) mute

Further reading

• “atone”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Adjective

atone f pl

1. feminine plural of atono

Anagrams

• Anteo, aneto, etano