TONIC

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does tonic mean? 

• TONIC (noun)
  The noun TONIC has 4 senses:

1. lime- or lemon-flavored carbonated water containing quinine

2. a sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring

3. (music) the first note of a diatonic scale

4. a medicine that strengthens and invigorates

  Familiarity information: TONIC used as a noun is uncommon.

• TONIC (adjective)
  The adjective TONIC has 5 senses:

1. of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue

2. employing variations in pitch to distinguish meanings of otherwise similar words

3. (used of syllables) bearing the principle stress, usually accompanied by a change in pitch

4. relating to or being the keynote of a major or minor scale

5. imparting vitality and energy

  Familiarity information: TONIC used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TONIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lime- or lemon-flavored carbonated water containing quinine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

quinine water; tonic; tonic water

Hypernyms ("tonic" is a kind of...):

soft drink (nonalcoholic beverage (usually carbonated))

Meronyms (substance of "tonic"):

quinine (a bitter alkaloid extracted from chinchona bark; used in malaria therapy)

Holonyms ("tonic" is a substance of...):

gin and tonic (gin and quinine water)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

pop; soda; soda pop; soda water; tonic

Context example:

in New England they call sodas tonics

Hypernyms ("tonic" is a kind of...):

soft drink (nonalcoholic beverage (usually carbonated))

Meronyms (substance of "tonic"):

carbonated water; club soda; seltzer; soda water; sparkling water (effervescent beverage artificially charged with carbon dioxide)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(music) the first note of a diatonic scale

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

keynote; tonic

Hypernyms ("tonic" is a kind of...):

musical note; note; tone (a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound)

Domain category:

music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tonic"):

C ((music) the keynote of the scale of C major)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A medicine that strengthens and invigorates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

restorative; tonic

Hypernyms ("tonic" is a kind of...):

medicament; medication; medicinal drug; medicine ((medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tonic"):

bracer; pick-me-up (a tonic or restorative (especially a drink of liquor))

• TONIC (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to or producing normal tone or tonus in muscles or tissue

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

tonic muscle contraction

Domain category:

physiology (the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms)

Pertainym:

tonus (the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli)

Derivation:

tone; tonicity (the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Employing variations in pitch to distinguish meanings of otherwise similar words

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

tonal; tonic

Context example:

Chinese is a tonal language

Pertainym:

tone ((linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages)

Derivation:

tone ((linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(used of syllables) bearing the principle stress, usually accompanied by a change in pitch

Synonyms:

accented; tonic

Context example:

a tonic syllables carries the main stress in a word

Antonym:

atonic ((used of syllables) carrying no stress)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Relating to or being the keynote of a major or minor scale

Context example:

tonic harmony

Similar:

tonal (having tonality; i.e. tones and chords organized in relation to one tone such as a keynote or tonic)

Derivation:

tone (a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Imparting vitality and energy

Synonyms:

bracing; brisk; fresh; refreshful; refreshing; tonic

Context example:

the bracing mountain air

Similar:

invigorating (imparting strength and vitality)

 Context examples 

This product is mostly used as a tonic.

(Chamaelirium luteum Root, NCI Thesaurus)

Also, he had a tonic effect upon her.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The initial brief tonic phase is marked by trunk flexion followed by diffuse extension of the trunk and extremities.

(Grand Mal Epilepsy, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

However, it primarily acts at the brain stem to reduce tonic somatic motor activity, influencing both gamma and alpha motor neurons.

(Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Hinoki wood oil has anti-bacterial properties and is used in perfumes, toothpaste, and hair tonic as well as for aromatherapy.

(Chamaecyparis obtusa Wood Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

A symptomatic form of epilepsy often preceded by an aura; characterized by loss of consciousness with generalized tonic- clonic seizures.

(Grand Mal Seizure, Food and Drug Administration)

Transgenic mice lacking the DREAM gene were unusually pain insensitive and had elevated spinal levels of dynorphin and tonic activation of the kappa opioid receptor, supporting this hypothesis.

(Pain Repression Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Chaste berries are considered as a reproductive tonic herb.

(Chaste Berry, NCI Thesaurus)

Generalized seizure that manifests in a form of a brief episode of impairment of consciousness with or without accompanying motor phenomena such as clonic-tonic components, automatisms, or autonomic components.

(Petit Mal Seizure, NCI Thesaurus)

The epileptic episodes may be tonic, atonic, myoclonic, or absence seizures.

(Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)