tonic
part of speech
noun (a tonic, tonics; tonic — uncountable for the drink); adjective (tonic)
meaning for a pupil
1) Tonic, or tonic water, is a fizzy drink with a slightly bitter taste. tree →
2) A tonic is something that makes you feel better, stronger or happier: «The holiday was a real tonic». tree →
3) In the past, a tonic was a medicine people believed would make them stronger. tree →
4) (music) The tonic is the first and main note of a musical scale or key, the «home» note, like C in C major. tree →
5) Hair tonic is a liquid put on hair. tree →
sense in the lessons
In music lessons, older pupils learn the tonic as «doh», the note a tune often ends on. In everyday life, adults say a walk, sunshine or good news is «a tonic». In history, Victorians bought tonics that often did not really work. Phrases: «a real tonic», «tonic water», «the tonic note».
examples
- The sunny weekend was a real tonic after the rainy week. tree →
- Grandad drinks tonic water with ice and lemon. tree →
- Seeing my friends again was just the tonic I needed. tree →
- In C major, the tonic is C. tree →
- The song ends on the tonic, so it sounds finished. tree →
- The old shop sold bottles of health tonic. tree →
- Tonic water glows under ultraviolet light because of the quinine in it. tree →
note
Different senses: a drink, a cheering thing, a music note. Not to be confused with «tectonic» (earth plates) or «sonic» (sound).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «tonic» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.