Main Entry:

¹ton·ic

Pronunciation:

\ˈtä-nik\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Greek tonikos, from tonos tension, tone

Date:

1649

1 a: characterized by tonus <tonic contraction of muscle> ; also : marked by prolonged muscular contraction <tonic convulsions> b: producing or adapted to produce healthy muscular condition and reaction of organs (as muscles)2 a: increasing or restoring physical or mental tone : refreshing b: yielding a tonic substance3: relating to or based on the first tone of a scale <tonic harmony>4of a syllable : bearing a principal stress or accent5: of or relating to speech tones or to languages using them to distinguish words otherwise identical

— ton·i·cal·ly \ˈtä-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb