Lexic.us

Definition of Tonic

1. Noun. Lime- or lemon-flavored carbonated water containing quinine.

2. Adjective. Of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue. "Tonic muscle contraction"

3. Noun. A sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring. "In New England they call sodas tonics"

4. Adjective. Employing variations in pitch to distinguish meanings of otherwise similar words. "Chinese is a tonal language"

5. Noun. (music) the first note of a diatonic scale.

6. Adjective. Used of syllables. "A tonic syllables carries the main stress in a word"

7. Noun. A medicine that strengthens and invigorates.

8. Adjective. Relating to or being the keynote of a major or minor scale. "Tonic harmony"

9. Adjective. Imparting vitality and energy. "The bracing mountain air"

Definition of Tonic

1. a. 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. n. A tonic element or letter; a vowel or a diphthong.

3. a. Characterized by continuous muscular contraction; as, tonic convulsions.

Definition of Tonic

1. Adjective. (physics pathology) Pertaining to tension, especially of muscles. ¹

2. Adjective. Restorative, curative or invigorating. ¹

3. Noun. A drink intended to restore or invigorate. ¹

4. Noun. Tonic water. ¹

5. Noun. (US Northeastern US) Any of various carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages; soda pop. ¹

6. Noun. (figuratively) Something that revitalises or reinvigorates. ¹

7. Adjective. (music) Pertaining to the keynote of a composition. ¹

8. Adjective. Pertaining to the accent or stress in a word or in speech. ¹

9. Noun. (music) The first note of a scale. ¹

10. Noun. (music) The triad built on the tonic note. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tonic

1. something that invigorates or refreshes [n -S]

Medical Definition of Tonic

1. 1. Producing and restoring the normal tone. 2. Characterised by continuous tension. 3. A term formerly used for a class of medicinal preparations believed to have the power of restoring normal tone to tissue. Origin: Gr. Tonikos This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tonic

tonguelessly tonguelet tonguelets tonguelike tonguely tongues tonguester tonguesters tongueworm tongueworms

tonguey tonguing tonguing and grooving plane tonguings tonguy tonic (current term) tonic-clonic seizure tonic accent tonic contraction tonic control

tonic convulsion tonic epilepsy tonic key tonic pupil tonic reflex tonic seizure tonic solfa tonic spasm tonic water tonic waters

Literary usage of Tonic

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music by Hermann von Helmholtz, Alexander John Ellis (1885)
"The tonic chord of any tonal mode can of course only be one -which more or less perfectly represents the compound tone of the tonic, that is, that major or ..."

2. On the Sensations of Tone as a Physiological Basis for the Theory of Music by Hermann von Helmholtz (1895)
"The tonic chord of any tonal mode can of course only be one which more or less perfectly represents the compound tone of the tonic, that is, that major or ..."

3. Modern Harmony in Its Theory and Practice by Arthur Foote, Walter Raymond Spalding (1905)
"The first degree, popularly known as the key-note, is called the tonic: this is an abbreviation of the Latin tonica, and means the Tone, ie, the chief tone ..."

4. Appletons' Annual Cyclopædia and Register of Important Events of the Year (1885)
"In 1865 Mr. Curwen established the tonic s ''-fa press at ... A most important element of success in the tonic Sol-fa movement was the foothold it gained in ..."

5. The Boston Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music: Being a by Handel and Haydn Society (Boston, Mass.), Mass Handel and Haydn Society (Boston, Lowell Mason (1830)
"What is the first note of the Scalp, or the Key note called 1 The tonic. ... Because of its situation ; being the next above the tonic. The Mediant. ..."

6. The Material Used in Musical Composition: A System of Harmony Designed by Percy Goetschius (1913)
"This is the fundamental representative of the tonic class of chords. ... The V, because of its nearness to the tonic center (one harmonic degree removed), ..."

Other Resources: