tono-

American  

1. a combining form with the meanings “stretching,” “tension,” “tone,” used in the formation of compound words.

   tonometer.

---

Usage

What does tono- mean? Tono- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “stretching,” “tension,” “tone.” It is occasionally used in a variety of scientific terms, especially in medicine and biology. In this combining form, tone can refer variously to muscle tone or musical tone, depending on context. Tono- comes from the Greek tónos, meaning “tone.” Discover more about this term at our entry for tone. What are variants of tono-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, tono- becomes ton-, as in toneme.

Etymology

Origin of tono-

< Greek tón ( os ) ( see tone) + -o-