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

They observed that Y1R neurons did not simply react to quick bursts of pain; instead, they kept firing steadily during prolonged pain, a phenomenon known as “tonic activity.”

Read more on Science Daily

Unlike Tonic, the scene-stealing cat in “Pet Sematary” and “Caught Stealing,” Indy is not a trained animal actor; nor are his humans seasoned animal trainers.

Read more on Salon

The tonic bar will serve members at Kith Ivy, a lifestyle and fitness club from Ronnie Fieg, chief executive of the popular streetwear brand Kith.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Erewhon said it plans to open a tonic bar within an exclusive West Village members’ club later this fall.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Erewhon’s new tonic bar will offer a limited selection of drinks and smoothies, a company spokesperson said Wednesday.

Read more on Los Angeles Times