tonic

¹

[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.

   Synonyms: pickup, bracer, restorative, stimulant

3. quinine water.

4. Music.,  the first degree of the scale; the keynote.

5. Chiefly Eastern New England.,  soda pop.

6. Phonetics.,  a tonic syllable or accent.

adjective

1. pertaining to, maintaining, increasing, or restoring the tone or health of the body or an organ, as a medicine.

2. invigorating physically, mentally, or morally.

3. Physiology, Pathology.

   1. pertaining to tension, as of the muscles.

   2. marked by continued muscular tension.

      a tonic spasm.

4. using differences in tone or pitch to distinguish between words that are otherwise phonemically identical.

   a tonic language.

5. pertaining to tone or accent in speech.

6. Phonetics.,  (of a syllable) bearing the principal stress or accent, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.

7. Music.

   1. of or relating to a tone or tones.

   2. pertaining to or founded on the keynote, or first tone, of a musical scale.

      a tonic chord.

-tonic

²

1. a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -tonia:

   catatonic.

tonic

/ ˈtɒnɪk /

noun

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

   1. the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal centre of a piece composed in a particular key

   2. a key or chord based on this

5. a stressed syllable in a word

adjective

1. serving to enliven and invigorate

   a tonic wine

2. of or relating to a tone or tones

3. music of or relating to the first degree of a major or minor scale

4. of or denoting the general effect of colour and light and shade in a picture

5. physiol of, relating to, characterized by, or affecting normal muscular or bodily tone

   a tonic spasm

6. of or relating to stress or the main stress in a word

7. denoting a tone language

Other Word Forms

• tonically adverb
• antitonic adjective
• nontonic adjective
• pretonic noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonic¹

First recorded in 1640–50, tonic is from the Greek word tonikós pertaining to stretching or tones. See tone, -ic

Origin of tonic²

tonic

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonic¹

C17: from New Latin tonicus, from Greek tonikos concerning tone, from tonos _tone

Example Sentences

And the Four Seasons in Riyadh has opened a tonic bar — but with no booze — that asks you to “delight in a symphony of handcrafted cocktails meticulously prepared to elevate your senses.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A Federal Reserve speaker a day is keeping the selloff away and seems to be the perfect tonic for jittery markets.

Read more on Barron's

"And if the BBC was worried that this could have been the start of a process of its demise, then it should have a large gin and tonic tonight, because nothing happened that did any damage whatsoever."

Read more on BBC

There will also be a “tonic bar” from Erewhon, featuring the gourmet L.A. grocer’s famously expensive and elaborate smoothies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“This was pretty shocking,” said Jake Bullock, chief executive of Cann, which produces a low-dose hemp-derived “social tonic.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal