tonic syllable

Look at other dictionaries:

• tonic — tonically, adv. /ton ik/, n. 1. a medicine that invigorates or strengthens: a tonic of sulphur and molasses. 2. anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally: His cheerful greeting was a real tonic. 3. See quinine water. 4. Music. the… …   Universalium

• tonic — ton•ic [[t]ˈtɒn ɪk[/t]] n. 1) pha a medicine that invigorates or strengthens 2) anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally 3) coo tonic water 4) mad the first degree of a musical scale; keynote 5) dial. Chiefly Eastern New Eng. soda… …   From formal English to slang

• tonic — [tän′ik] adj. [Gr tonikos < tonos: see TONE] 1. of, producing, or tending to produce good muscular tone, or tension 2. mentally or morally invigorating; stimulating 3. having to do with tones; specif., a) Music designating or based on the… …   English World dictionary

• tonic accent — n. Phonet. emphasis given to a syllable by change, esp. a rise, in pitch, rather than an increase in stress …   English World dictionary

• tonic accent — noun emphasis that results from pitch rather than loudness • Syn: ↑pitch accent • Hypernyms: ↑stress, ↑emphasis, ↑accent * * * noun 1. : relative phonetic prominence (as from greater stress or higher pitch) of a spoken syllable or word …   Useful english dictionary

• Tonic sol-fa — This article is about the system of musical notation. For the musical group, see Tonic Sol fa (a cappella group). For other uses, see Sol fa (disambiguation). Solfege table in an Irish classroom Tonic sol fa (or Tonic sol fah) is a pedagogical… …   Wikipedia

• tonic — I. 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… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

• tonic — n. & adj. n. 1 an invigorating medicine. 2 anything serving to invigorate. 3 = tonic water. 4 Mus. the first degree of a scale, forming the keynote of a piece (see KEYNOTE 3). adj. 1 serving as a tonic; invigorating. 2 Mus. denoting the first… …   Useful english dictionary

• tonic — noun 1》 a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigour or well being. 2》 something with an invigorating effect. 3》 (also tonic water) a carbonated soft drink with a bitter flavour, used as a mixer with gin or other spirits. 4》 Music the… …   English new terms dictionary

• tonic accent — noun Date: 1867 1. relative phonetic prominence (as from greater stress or higher pitch) of a spoken syllable or word 2. accent depending on pitch rather than stress …   New Collegiate Dictionary