or accenting, in reading or speaking: When we raise the tone higher in founding any particular word or syllable, that word or syllable is said to be accented, or graced with an accent. In hexameters there is a capital accent in every line, easily distinguishable from the rest by a good ear. Thus,

Nec bene promeritis capitur, nec tangitur ira.

Accents either in prose or poetry have a double effect: They contribute to the melody, by giving it air and spirit; they contribute not less to the sense, by distinguishing words of importance from others. Accenting is entirely confined to long syllables; for a short syllable is not capable of an accent. Every word in an hexameter line that has a long syllable may be accented, unless the sense interpose, which rejects the accenting a word that makes no figure by its significance. But, notwithstanding this circumstance, there is constantly one accent in every line which makes a greater figure than any of the rest. Thus,

Smooth flow the waves, the zephyrs gently play, Belinda smil'd, and all the world was gay.

In order to facilitate the reading of dead languages, grammarians have adopted various characters for distinguishing the accents belonging to particular syllables; such as the acute, marked thus, (´), the grave thus (´'), and the circumflex thus (ˇ), or (¸), &c. The acute denotes that the voice is to be raised; the grave, that it is to be lowered or flattened; and the circumflex, that the syllable is to be lengthened or dwelt upon.

in music, is a certain modulation of sounds to express a passion, whether by the voice or instruments. See Music.