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hypertonic vs. hypotonic

hypertonic vs. hypotonic: What’s the difference?

In the context of muscles, hypertonic describes muscles that have abnormally high tension, while hypotonic describes those that lack normal tone or tension. In chemistry, when comparing two solutions, hypertonic is used to describe the one with the higher osmotic pressure, and hypertonic is used to describe the one with lower osmotic pressure. Remember: hyper- basically means “high,” and hypo- basically means “low.”

[ hahy-per-ton-ik ]
adjective
  1. of or relating to hypertonia.
  2. noting a solution of higher osmotic pressure than another solution with which it is compared (opposed to hypotonic).
[ hahy-puh-ton-ik ]
adjective
  1. (of tissue) having less than the normal tone.
  2. noting a solution of lower osmotic pressure than another solution with which it is compared (opposed to hypertonic).

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