TONIC • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Tonic

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/tˈɑnɪk/ Listen

noun

Tonic n.

1.

(Phon.) A tonic element or letter; a vowel or a diphthong.

2.

(Mus.) The key tone, or first tone of any scale.

3.

(Med.) A medicine that increases the strength, and gives vigor of action to the system.

Tonic sol-fa (Mus.), the name of the most popular among letter systems of notation (at least in England), based on key relationship, and hence called "tonic." Instead of the five lines, clefs, signature, etc., of the usual notation, it employs letters and the syllables do, re, mi, etc., variously modified, with other simple signs of duration, of upper or lower octave, etc. See Sol-fa.

adjective

Tonic adj.

1.

Of or relating to tones or sounds; specifically (Phon.), applied to, or distingshing, a speech sound made with tone unmixed and undimmed by obstruction, such sounds, namely, the vowels and diphthongs, being so called by Dr. James Rush (1833) " from their forming the purest and most plastic material of intonation."

2.

Of or pertaining to tension; increasing tension; hence, increasing strength; as, tonic power.

3.

(Med.) Increasing strength, or the tone of the animal system; obviating the effects of debility, and restoring healthy functions.

4.

(Med.) Characterized by continuous muscular contraction; as, tonic convulsions.

Tonic spasm. (Med.) See the Note under Spasm.

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Etymology of 'Tonic'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Tonic" Quotes from Famous Books

... to Sarawak in October, our party was increased. Mr. and Mrs. Crookshank had come out from England—she a bride, and quite a new element of youth and beauty for Sarawak. A lady friend and her child and nurse also came on a long visit to us, the air of Sarawak being considered quite a tonic compared to the sea-breeze at Singapore, which was at times visited by a hot wind from Java. Very pleasant days followed our return home. Mrs. Harvey and I, with our children, went for a month to "See-afar" Cottage on the hill of Serambo. I ...

— Sketches of Our Life at Sarawak • Harriette McDougall

... vapour in the atmosphere will preserve meat, as well as prevent it from becoming fly-blown. Although it has, in certain impure states, a slightly disagreeable odour, this is never such as to be in any way harmful, whilst on the other hand it is said to act as a tonic to those connected with its ...

— The Story of a Piece of Coal - What It Is, Whence It Comes, and Whither It Goes • Edward A. Martin

... to the British soldier a tonic, and when Wellington drew up his lines in challenge of battle to his pursuer, on the great hill of Busaco, his red-coated soldiery were at least full of a grim satisfaction. One of the combatants has described the diverse ...

— Deeds that Won the Empire - Historic Battle Scenes • W. H. Fitchett

... July 1901. To George's right was an open door leading to the principals' room, and to his left another open door leading to more rooms and to the staircase. The lofty chambers were full of lassitude; but round about George, who was working late, there floated the tonic vapour of conscious virtue. Haim, the factotum, could be seen and heard moving in his cubicle which guarded the offices from the stairs. In the rooms shortly to be deserted and locked up, and in the decline of the day, the three men ...

— The Roll-Call • Arnold Bennett

... gave him new strength like a tonic, he came out of the chapel joyful and firmer, and when the impression grew somewhat feebler in the course of hours, he remained perhaps less affected, but still resolute, joking in the evening with a gentle melancholy ...

— En Route • J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans

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