1
a
b
: an agent (such as a drug) that increases body tone
c
: one that invigorates, restores, refreshes, or stimulates
a day in the country was a tonic for him
d
: a liquid preparation for the scalp or hair
e
chiefly New England
: a carbonated flavored beverage
2
: the first tone of a major or minor scale : keynote
3
: a voiced sound
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 (such as muscles)
2
a
: increasing or restoring physical or mental tone : refreshing
b
: yielding a tonic substance
3
: relating to or based on the first tone of a scale
tonic harmony
4
of a syllable
: bearing a principal stress or accent
5
: of or relating to speech tones or to languages using them to distinguish words otherwise identical
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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