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Tonic   /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.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Tonic" Quotes from Famous Books



... all, as naturally as from infancy the Native Son has breathed the tonic and toxic air of California, he has breathed the spirit of democracy. That spirit of democracy is so strong, indeed, that the enfranchised women of California give intelligent guidance to the feminists of a whole nation; public opinion is so enlightened that it sets a pace for ...
— The Native Son • Inez Haynes Irwin
... rose-scarlet dress, in whose eyes sorrow struggled with mocking laughter, once again assailed him. Who she might be, and what her history, he most emphatically knew not; yet that she breathed a keener and more tonic air than that to which he was habituated, that feelings in her case did not stand for actions, or suppositions for ...
— The Far Horizon • Lucas Malet
... told that the water had been analysed and passed by the medical authorities. I suppose both the colour and flavour were only due to the presence of iron, in which case I have no doubt it was an excellent tonic. I should have liked to have seen the doctor's face had he been made to swallow a glassful. I am thinking of forming a company for the purpose of building a hydro on the site of the old camp, so that every one may have an opportunity of enjoying perfect health by taking ...
— 'Brother Bosch', an Airman's Escape from Germany • Gerald Featherstone Knight
... she had to do, Nan devoted her efforts to keeping Patty strengthened and stimulated, and was constantly appearing to her with a cup of hot beef tea, or of strong coffee, or a dose of some highly recommended nerve tonic. ...
— Patty's Summer Days • Carolyn Wells
... traveller. He was clad in a knickerbocker suit, but as at the same time he wore short socks under his laced boots, for reasons which, whether hygienic or conscientious, were surely imaginative, his calves, exposed to the public gaze and to the tonic air of high altitudes, dazzled the beholder by the splendour of their marble-like condition and their rich tone of young ivory. He was the leader of a small caravan. The light of a headlong, exalted satisfaction with the world of men and the ...
— A Personal Record • Joseph Conrad


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