In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
UNDERTONE
undertone, tinge
(noun) a pale or subdued color
undertone, undercurrent
(noun) a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning
undertone
(noun) a quiet or hushed tone of voice; “spoke in undertones”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
undertone (countable and uncountable, plural undertones)
An auditory tone of low pitch or volume.
An implicit message perceived subtly alongside, but not detracting noticeably from, the explicit message conveyed in or by a book, film, verbal dialogue or similar (contrast with overtone); an undercurrent.
Antonym: overtone
A pale colour, or one seen underneath another colour.
A low state of the physical faculties.
Verb
undertone (third-person singular simple present undertones, present participle undertoning, simple past and past participle undertoned)
To accompany as an undertone.
To say or speak in an undertone.
To present as less important, noticeable or prominent.
Synonyms
• (present as less important): de-emphasize, downplay
Antonyms
• (present as less important): accent, accentuate
Anagrams
• undernote
Source: Wiktionary
Un"der*tone`, n.
Definition: A low or subdued tone or utterance; a tone less loud than usual.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
3 July 2025
SENSE
(noun) the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; “in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing”
Coffee Trivia