atone

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.

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

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -əʊn

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]

   He tried to atone for his mistakes by working harder.

   She gave a donation to atone for her past actions.

   The ritual was performed to atone for sins.

   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.

• 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.

• Aneto, Eaton, neato, notea, oaten, Onate

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἄτονος (átonos).

• IPA^(key): /a.tɔn/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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atone (plural atones)

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

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.to.ne/
• Rhymes: -atone
• Hyphenation: à‧to‧ne

atone f pl

1. feminine plural of atono

• Anteo, aneto, etano