accent

noun

• 1a distinctive way of pronouncing a language, especially one associated with a particular country, area, or social class:a strong American accent she never mastered the French accent

• 2a distinct emphasis given to a syllable or word in speech by stress or pitch: the accent falls on the middle syllable
• a mark on a letter, typically a vowel, to indicate pitch, stress, or vowel quality:a circumflex accent
• Music an emphasis on a particular note or chord: short fortissimo accents

• 3 [in singular] a special or particular emphasis:the accent is on participation
• a feature which gives a distinctive visual emphasis to something: blue woodwork and accents of red

verb

• emphasize (a particular feature):fabrics which accent the background colours in the room
• Music play (a note or beat) with emphasis: the quick tempo means there is less scope for accenting offbeat notes