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tonic

 [ton-ik]   Example Sentences Origin

ton·ic

   [ton-ik]
noun
1.
a medicine that invigorates or strengthens: a tonic of sulphur and molasses.
2.
anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally: His cheerful greeting was a real tonic.
3.
quinine water.
4.
Music. the first degree of the scale; the keynote.
5.
Chiefly Eastern New England. soda pop.
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6.
Phonetics. a tonic syllable or accent.
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adjective
7.
pertaining to, maintaining, increasing, or restoring the tone or health of the body or an organ, as a medicine.
8.
invigorating physically, mentally, or morally.
9.
Physiology, Pathology.
a.
pertaining to tension, as of the muscles.
b.
marked by continued muscular tension: a tonic spasm.
10.
using differences in tone or pitch to distinguish between words that are otherwise phonemically identical: a tonic language.
11.
pertaining to tone or accent in speech.
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12.
Phonetics. (of a syllable) bearing the principal stress or accent, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.
13.
Music.
a.
of or pertaining to a tone or tones.
b.
pertaining to or founded on the keynote, or first tone, of a musical scale: a tonic chord.
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Tonic is always a great word to know.
So is quarter rest. Does it mean:
contains a dominant chord, major third, perfect fifth and a minor seventh
rest equal in time value to a quarter note
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1640–50; < Greek tonikós pertaining to stretching or tones. See tone, -ic

Related forms
ton·i·cal·ly, adverb
an·ti·ton·ic, adjective, noun
non·ton·ic, adjective
pre·ton·ic, noun, adjective

Synonyms
2. stimulant, restorative, bracer, pickup.

Regional variation note
5. See soda pop.

Example Sentences
  • The view from the verandah is almost as tonic as what's blending with the ice in my gin.
  • The tonic neck position is often described as the fencer's position because it resembles the stance of a fencer.
  • After the solitude of graduate research, that's a powerful tonic.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

-tonic

 
a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -tonia: catatonic.
Origin:
see tonic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Tonic
Collins
World English Dictionary
tonic (ˈtɒnɪk)
 
—n
1.  a medicinal preparation intended to improve and strengthen the functioning of the body or increase the feeling of wellbeing
2.  anything that enlivens or strengthens: his speech was a tonic to the audience
3.  Also called: tonic water a mineral water, usually carbonated and containing quinine and often mixed with gin or other alcoholic drinks
4.  music
 a.  the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal centre of a piece composed in a particular key
 b.  a key or chord based on this
5.  a stressed syllable in a word
 
—adj
6.  serving to enliven and invigorate: a tonic wine
7.  of or relating to a tone or tones
8.  music of or relating to the first degree of a major or minor scale
9.  of or denoting the general effect of colour and light and shade in a picture
10.  physiol of, relating to, characterized by, or affecting normal muscular or bodily tone: a tonic spasm
11.  of or relating to stress or the main stress in a word
12.  denoting a tone language
 
[C17: from New Latin tonicus, from Greek tonikos concerning tone, from tonostone]
 
'tonically
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tonic
1649, "relating to or characterized by muscular tension," from Gk. tonikos "of stretching," from tonos "a stretching" (see tenet). The meaning "maintaining the healthy firmness of tissues" is recorded from 1684, first extended 1756 to "having the property of restoring to
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health." The noun meaning "a tonic medicine" is attested from 1799. The musical sense is first attested 1760, from tone (q.v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

tonic ton·ic (tŏn'ĭk)
adj.

  1. Of or producing tone or tonicity in muscles or tissue.

  2. Characterized by continuous tension or contraction of muscles, as a convulsion or spasm.

  3. Producing or stimulating physical, mental, or emotional vigor.

n.
An agent, such as a medication, that restores or increases body tone.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

tonic definition


  1. n.
    liquor. : Just a bit of tonic. I'm cutting down.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

tonic

in music, the first note (degree) of any diatonic (e.g., major or minor) scale. It is the most important degree of the scale, serving as the focus for both melody and harmony. The term tonic may also refer to the tonic triad, the chord built in thirds from the tonic note (as C-E-G in C major). See also tonality.

Learn more about tonic with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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