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noun · 2 syllables · /'tɒn.ɪk/

TONIC

What does "TONIC" mean?

A medicinal or refreshing substance that restores vigor, or the first note of a musical scale.

Meanings

  1. A medicine or drink taken to restore strength, energy, or well-being. The mountain air was a tonic after weeks in the city.
  2. Tonic water, a carbonated soft drink flavored with quinine, often mixed with gin. She ordered a gin and tonic with a slice of lime.
  3. The first and key note of a musical scale, the note on which the key is centered. The melody finally resolves back to the tonic. technical
  4. Giving a feeling of vigor or well-being; invigorating. His honesty had a tonic effect on the whole team.

Did you know?

  • Pour tonic water under a blacklight and it glows an eerie blue - that's the quinine in it fluorescing, the same bitter compound once used to fight malaria.

Word origin

From Greek 'tonikos', 'of or for stretching', from 'tonos' (tension, pitch); a tonic 'tones up' the body, and in music the tonic is the note that sets the key's tension.

Remember it

TONIC = 'TONE-ic'; in music it sets the TONE/key, and as a drink it tones you up.

A little poem

Bitter on the tongue-
the same note the song returns to,
the same cure for thirst.

haiku

Wordplay

  • Why did the musician order tonic? She wanted to get back to the key.

What it teaches

What restores you is often a little bitter; the cure and the home note both ask you to return.

Quick facts

What does TONIC mean?

A medicinal or refreshing substance that restores vigor, or the first note of a musical scale.

Is TONIC a valid word?

Yes — TONIC is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is TONIC?

TONIC has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does TONIC come from?

From Greek 'tonikos', 'of or for stretching', from 'tonos' (tension, pitch); a tonic 'tones up' the body, and in music the tonic is the note that sets the key's tension.

What can TONIC teach us?

What restores you is often a little bitter; the cure and the home note both ask you to return.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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