n.
Pronunciation: ' tä-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 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
– ton · i · cal · ly \ ' tä-ni-k( ə -)l ē \ adverb