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tonic
1[ ton-ik ]
noun
- a medicine that invigorates or strengthens:
a tonic of sulphur and molasses.
- anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally:
His cheerful greeting was a real tonic.
Synonyms: pickup, bracer, restorative, stimulant
- Music. the first degree of the scale; the keynote.
- Chiefly Eastern New England. soda pop.
- Phonetics. a tonic syllable or accent.
adjective
- pertaining to, maintaining, increasing, or restoring the tone or health of the body or an organ, as a medicine.
- invigorating physically, mentally, or morally.
- Physiology, Pathology.
- pertaining to tension, as of the muscles.
- marked by continued muscular tension:
a tonic spasm.
- using differences in tone or pitch to distinguish between words that are otherwise phonemically identical:
a tonic language.
- pertaining to tone or accent in speech.
- Phonetics. (of a syllable) bearing the principal stress or accent, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.
- Music.
- pertaining to or founded on the keynote, or first tone, of a musical scale:
a tonic chord.
-tonic
2- a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -tonia:
catatonic.
tonic
/ ˈtɒnɪk /
noun
- a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing
- anything that enlivens or strengthens
his speech was a tonic to the audience
- Also calledtonic water a mineral water, usually carbonated and containing quinine and often mixed with gin or other alcoholic drinks
- music
- the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal centre of a piece composed in a particular key
- a key or chord based on this
- a stressed syllable in a word
adjective
- serving to enliven and invigorate
a tonic wine
- of or relating to a tone or tones
- music of or relating to the first degree of a major or minor scale
- of or denoting the general effect of colour and light and shade in a picture
- physiol of, relating to, characterized by, or affecting normal muscular or bodily tone
a tonic spasm
- of or relating to stress or the main stress in a word
- denoting a tone language
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Derived Forms
- ˈtonically, adverb
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Other Words From
- toni·cal·ly adverb
- anti·tonic adjective noun
- non·tonic adjective
- pre·tonic noun adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of tonic1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of tonic1
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Example Sentences
Webb comes across with a clarity of expression that is rare for a politician and that the voters might find a welcome tonic.
The result is a jade green soup that is smooth and gently tonic.
For Feiffer, the cold isolation of the upstate New York retreat worked like a tonic.
Ultimately, the recommended tonic is based on your mind-body type according to ancient tradition.
Unfortunately, the four-time NBA All-Star was tragically known for his unofficial nickname: Vin and Tonic.
Monsieur Ratignolle was delighted to see her, though he found her looking not so well as at Grand Isle, and he advised a tonic.
And the familiar scenery, together with the wholesome exercise of sculling, acted as a tonic to his nerves.
First of all is the forceful utterance of the stressed syllable; the Provençal has post-tonic syllables, unlike the sister-speech.
He shrewdly suspected that the infinite peace of the landscape would prove the best tonic for her overwrought mind.
“A useful phrase at times, of the nature of a tonic, amidst our enervating civilisation,” she reflected.
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