*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tonal

From tone + -al.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Of or relating to tones or tonality. · Of or relating to the general character, mood, or trend of something. · Employing tones that have a predictable relationship to some tonic. · Employing differences in pitch (tones) to distinguish differences in the meaning of otherwise similar words (words which would otherwise be homophonic).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From tone + -al.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tone",
        "3": "al"
      },
      "expansion": "tone + -al"
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tone",
      "tone#English"
    ],
    [
      "-al",
      "-al#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or relating to tones or tonality.",
        "Of or relating to the general character, mood, or trend of something.",
        "Employing tones that have a predictable relationship to some tonic.",
        "Employing differences in pitch (tones) to distinguish differences in the meaning of otherwise similar words (words which would otherwise be homophonic)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "529cc1e1a63130bbc07409af99e6f4b8fccfc74a59a6320edfebbdb159a95508",
      "rawRecordSha256": "27e4cd80a42ff5fc903f0b8771e8579d21907e208c6b0220092f4b00b9286275",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 305210
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

An animal companion which accompanies a person from birth to death.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Nahuatl tōnalli (“day, day sign”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nah",
        "3": "tonalli",
        "4": "tōnalli",
        "5": "day, day sign"
      },
      "expansion": "Nahuatl tōnalli (“day, day sign”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tōnalli",
      "tonalli#Nahuatl"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An animal companion which accompanies a person from birth to death."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "996ece17496d4254077c4da15ee3766046431e35fbe3acfc2ae02146c11507ff",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e05bbd8bd14175d230b20f7255215a588bd832b7b83f5109b510bff6f19a9fce",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 305211
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tonal →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dG9uYWw