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Tonic vs Strength - What's the difference?

tonic | strength |

As nouns the difference between tonic and strength

is that tonic is a substance with medicinal properties intended to restore or invigorate or tonic can be (music) the first note of a scale while strength is the quality or degree of being strong.

As an adjective tonic

is (physics|pathology) pertaining to tension, especially of muscles or tonic can be (music) pertaining to the keynote of a composition.

As a verb strength is

(obsolete) to give strength to; to strengthen.

tonic

English

Alternative forms

* tonick (obsolete)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . 17th century writers believed health to be derived from firmly stretched muscles, thus tonic''; the extension of ''tonic medicine appeared in the late 18th century.

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (physics, pathology) Pertaining to tension, especially of muscles.
  • * 2009 , Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice , Vintage 2010, p. 316:
    • Out in front and across the street, Doc noted half a dozen or so young men, not loitering or doing substances but poised and tonic , as if waiting for some standing order to take effect.
  • Restorative, curative or invigorating.
    • The arrival of the new members had a tonic effect on the team.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A substance with medicinal properties intended to restore or invigorate.
    • We used to brew a tonic from a particular kind of root.
  • Tonic water.
  • (US, Northeastern US) Any of various carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages; soda pop.
  • (figuratively) Something that revitalises or reinvigorates.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=February 5 , author=Paul Fletcher , title=Newcastle 4 - 4 Arsenal , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The result is the perfect tonic for Newcastle, coming at the end of a week that saw the departure of Andy Carroll to Liverpool on Monday and an injury to Shola Ameobi during Wednesday's defeat at Fulham.}}

    Etymology 2

    From .

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (music) Pertaining to the keynote of a composition.
  • Pertaining to the accent or stress in a word or in speech.
  • Of or relating to tones or sounds; specifically (phonetics, dated) being or relating to a speech sound made with tone unmixed and undimmed by obstruction, i.e. a vowel or diphthong.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • (music) The first note of a scale.
  • (music) The triad built on the tonic note.
  • (phonetics) A tonic element or letter; a vowel or a diphthong.

    • Related terms

    * tonal center

    Anagrams

    * ontic ----

    strength

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The quality or degree of being strong.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
    • Our castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn.
  • * , chapter=5
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […], the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength —all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.}}
  • The intensity of a force or power; potency.
  • * 1699 , , Heads designed for an essay on conversations
    • Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.
  • The strongest part of something; that on which confidence or reliance is based.
  • * Bible, (Psalms) xlvi. 1
    • God is our refuge and strength .
  • * (Jeremy Taylor) (1613–1677)
    • Certainly there is not a greater strength against temptation.
  • A positive attribute.
  • (obsolete) A strong place; a stronghold.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * fortitude * power * ability * capability * potency * expertise

    Antonyms

    * (The quality of being strong) weakness * (A positive attribute) weakness

    Derived terms

    * bond strength * compressive strength * crushing strength * dielectic strength * fatigue strength * field strength * full-strength * impact strength * industrial-strength * inner strength * ionic strength * party strength * pillar of strength * relative strength * shear strength * strengthen * strengthening * strengthful * strengthless * strengthy * superstrength * tensile strength * tower of strength * ultimate strength * understrength * wet strength * yield strength

    Related terms

    * strong * strongly

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To give strength to; to strengthen.
  • * 1395 , (John Wycliffe), Bible , Job IV:
    • Lo! thou hast tau?t ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.
    (Chaucer)

    Statistics

    * English words suffixed with -th