different between untune vs untuned

English

Etymology

un- +? tune

Verb

untune (third-person singular simple present untunes, present participle untuning, simple past and past participle untuned)

1. (transitive) To cause (something) to be out of tune; to make incapable of harmony, or of harmonious action.
   • c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, Act 1, Scene 3,^[2]

     How could communities, […]

     Prerogative of age, crowns, sceptres, laurels,

     But by degree, stand in authentic place?

     Take but degree away, untune that string,

     And, hark, what discord follows!

   • 1687, John Dryden, “A Song for St. Cecelia’s Day” in Examen Poeticum, London: Jacob Tonson, 1693, p. 246,^[3]

     The TRUMPET shall be heard on high,

     The Dead shall live, the Living die,

     And MUSICK shall untune the Sky.

   • 1753, William Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, London: for the author, Chapter 14, p. 119, footnote,^[4]

     […] do we not see in most collections that much time disunites, untunes, blackens, and by degrees destroys even the best preserved pictures.

   • 1800, Thomas Jefferson, letter dated 4 July, 1800, in Henry S. Randall, The Life of Thomas Jefferson, New York: Derby & Jackson, 1858, Volume 2, Chapter 11, p. 565,^[5]

     Our forte-piano arrived a day or two after you left us. It has been exposed to a great deal of rain, but being well covered was only much untuned.

   • 1940, Leonard Barnes, “The Uprising of Indian and Colonial Peoples” in Where Stands Democracy? London: Macmillan, p. 63,^[6]

     The events of the last two or three years, with their record of discontent and rioting among colonial peoples, even more, perhaps, the series of official reports inquiring into the causes of these events, have untuned that old rhapsody in red, white and blue, to which our imperialists delighted to listen, and in whose magic melodies they thought they heard the beat of progress towards social liberty and welfare.

Synonyms

• detune
• distune

Translations

References

English

Etymology

un- +? tuned

Adjective

untuned (comparative more untuned, superlative most untuned)

1. The state of not having been tuned.
2. Of or relating to a musical instrument that does not produce specific pitches, e.g. many drums and cymbals.