Definition of Tonus

1. Noun. The elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli. "The doctor tested my tonicity"

Exact synonyms: Tone, Tonicity
Category relationships: Muscle, Muscular Tissue
Generic synonyms: Tautness, Tenseness, Tension, Tensity
Specialized synonyms: Catatonia, Muscle Tone, Muscular Tonus, Myotonia, Hypertonia, Hypertonicity, Hypertonus, Hypotonia, Hypotonicity, Hypotonus
Derivative terms: Tone, Tonic, Tonic
Antonyms: Atonicity

Definition of Tonus

1. n. Tonicity, or tone; as, muscular tonus.

Definition of Tonus

1. Noun. (biology) tonicity; tone ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tonus

1. a normal state of tension in muscle tissue [n -ES]

Medical Definition of Tonus

1. Tonicity, or tone; as, muscular tonus. Origin: L. A sound, tone. See Tone. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tonus

tonsilotomy
tonsils
tonsor
tonsorial
tonsors
tonsure
tonsured
tonsures
tonsuring
tontine
tontine insurance
tontiner
tontiners
tontines
tontons
tonus (current term)
tonuses
tony
too
too-careful
too-generous
too-greedy
too bad
too bad, so sad
too big for one's boots
too big for one's breeches
too big for one's britches
too big to fail
too clever by half
too hot to hold

Literary usage of Tonus

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

1. Monographic Medicine by William Robie Patten Emerson, Guido Guerrini, William Brown, Wendell Christopher Phillips, John Whitridge Williams, John Appleton Swett, Hans Günther, Mario Mariotti, Hugh Grant Rowell (1916)
"Some of the tonus may arise from chemically stimulated central neuron systems, ... Not all the muscles are equally contracted in tonus; thus, in the legs, ..."

2. Principles of General Physiology by William Maddock Bayliss (1920)
"The "plastic tonus" of skeletal muscle, described by Sherrington in the ... Decerebrate tonus behaves towards inhibitory stimuli in a manner different from ..."

3. Diseases of the Nose, Throat and Ear: Medical and Surgical by William Lincoln Ballenger (1914)
"The stronger tonus impulses from the labyrinth are those which go to the muscles ... When the tonus impulses from one labyrinth are suddenly suppressed, ..."

4. The Control of Hunger in Health and Disease by Anton Julius Carlson (1916)
"8:00 to 1 1 :0o AM, fairly strong tonus; fairly strong type U contractions. /''/;. ... Fast 30 hours; type II contractions; tonus 3 to 4 cm. Chloroform. ..."

5. A Text-book of Human Physiology by Robert Tigerstedt (1906)
"tonus By tonus we mean in general a state of continuous excitation observable in many organs, the intensity of which may vary a great deal according to ..."

6. Contributions to Medical and Biological Research by William Osler (1919)
"The term tonus, as met with in physiology and medicine, ... Under "bio-tonus" is understood a particular view of the metabolism of cells in general. ..."

7. International Medical and Surgical Surveyby American Institute of Medicine by American Institute of Medicine (1922)
"Alterations in tonus then govern graphically regis- trable alterations in the position of the umbilicus which are transferred, correspondingly enlarged, ..."

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