tonus

See also: tónus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tonus (“strain, tension”). Doublet of tone.

Noun

tonus (countable and uncountable, plural tonuses or toni)

1. (biology) tonicity; tone

   muscular tonus

   • 1942, Myrtle Gladys Scott, Analysis of Human Motion: A Textbook in Kinesiology, page 51:

     The amount of stretch possible increases with the range in the joint and decreases with the cross section of the muscle and the amount of tonus or contraction in these antagonists .

   • 1956, Personal character and cultural milieu: a collection of readings:

     Dr. H. S. Sullivan, for example, is known to many for his acute understanding of the postural tonuses of his patients.

   • 1964, Vasillĭ Vasilʹevich Parin, ‎F. Z. Myerson, An Outline of the Clinical Physiology of the Circulation, page 210:

     At the same time, from the vasomotor point of view the artrioles are an extremely active part of the vascular bed , and every important change in the peripheral resistance is traceable to a corresponding change in the tonus of the arterioles .

2. A tonal system or mode used in Gregorian chant.
   • 2021, Irene Caiazzo, ‎Constantinos Macris, ‎Aurélien Robert, Brill's Companion to the Reception of Pythagoras and Pythagoreanism in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, page 69:

     Aurelian associates antiphons and toni of the plain chant, so that the octave-based Pythagorean scale is exemlified by means of the liturgical chant, with the outstanding consequence that church music becomes the sounding representation of the harmony of the spherese and of human beings.

Anagrams

• Notus, Tuson, noust, nouts, nutso, snout

Finnish

Etymology

Latin tonus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtonus/, [ˈt̪o̞nus̠]
• Rhymes: -onus
• Syllabification^(key): to‧nus

Noun

tonus

1. (medicine) Synonym of jänteys

Declension

Inflection of tonus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		tonus	tonukset
genitive		tonuksen	tonusten tonuksien
partitive		tonusta	tonuksia
illative		tonukseen	tonuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		tonus	tonukset
accusative	nom.	tonus	tonukset
	gen.	tonuksen
genitive		tonuksen	tonusten tonuksien
partitive		tonusta	tonuksia
inessive		tonuksessa	tonuksissa
elative		tonuksesta	tonuksista
illative		tonukseen	tonuksiin
adessive		tonuksella	tonuksilla
ablative		tonukselta	tonuksilta
allative		tonukselle	tonuksille
essive		tonuksena	tonuksina
translative		tonukseksi	tonuksiksi
abessive		tonuksetta	tonuksitta
instructive		—	tonuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of tonus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tonukseni tonukseni accusative nom. tonukseni tonukseni gen. tonukseni genitive tonukseni tonusteni tonuksieni partitive tonustani tonuksiani inessive tonuksessani tonuksissani elative tonuksestani tonuksistani illative tonukseeni tonuksiini adessive tonuksellani tonuksillani ablative tonukseltani tonuksiltani allative tonukselleni tonuksilleni essive tonuksenani tonuksinani translative tonuksekseni tonuksikseni abessive tonuksettani tonuksittani instructive — — comitative — tonuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tonuksesi tonuksesi accusative nom. tonuksesi tonuksesi gen. tonuksesi genitive tonuksesi tonustesi tonuksiesi partitive tonustasi tonuksiasi inessive tonuksessasi tonuksissasi elative tonuksestasi tonuksistasi illative tonukseesi tonuksiisi adessive tonuksellasi tonuksillasi ablative tonukseltasi tonuksiltasi allative tonuksellesi tonuksillesi essive tonuksenasi tonuksinasi translative tonukseksesi tonuksiksesi abessive tonuksettasi tonuksittasi instructive — — comitative — tonuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tonuksemme tonuksemme accusative nom. tonuksemme tonuksemme gen. tonuksemme genitive tonuksemme tonustemme tonuksiemme partitive tonustamme tonuksiamme inessive tonuksessamme tonuksissamme elative tonuksestamme tonuksistamme illative tonukseemme tonuksiimme adessive tonuksellamme tonuksillamme ablative tonukseltamme tonuksiltamme allative tonuksellemme tonuksillemme essive tonuksenamme tonuksinamme translative tonukseksemme tonuksiksemme abessive tonuksettamme tonuksittamme instructive — — comitative — tonuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tonuksenne tonuksenne accusative nom. tonuksenne tonuksenne gen. tonuksenne genitive tonuksenne tonustenne tonuksienne partitive tonustanne tonuksianne inessive tonuksessanne tonuksissanne elative tonuksestanne tonuksistanne illative tonukseenne tonuksiinne adessive tonuksellanne tonuksillanne ablative tonukseltanne tonuksiltanne allative tonuksellenne tonuksillenne essive tonuksenanne tonuksinanne translative tonukseksenne tonuksiksenne abessive tonuksettanne tonuksittanne instructive — — comitative — tonuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative tonuksensa tonuksensa accusative nom. tonuksensa tonuksensa gen. tonuksensa genitive tonuksensa tonustensa tonuksiensa partitive tonustaan tonustansa tonuksiaan tonuksiansa inessive tonuksessaan tonuksessansa tonuksissaan tonuksissansa elative tonuksestaan tonuksestansa tonuksistaan tonuksistansa illative tonukseensa tonuksiinsa adessive tonuksellaan tonuksellansa tonuksillaan tonuksillansa ablative tonukseltaan tonukseltansa tonuksiltaan tonuksiltansa allative tonukselleen tonuksellensa tonuksilleen tonuksillensa essive tonuksenaan tonuksenansa tonuksinaan tonuksinansa translative tonuksekseen tonukseksensa tonuksikseen tonuksiksensa abessive tonuksettaan tonuksettansa tonuksittaan tonuksittansa instructive — — comitative — tonuksineen tonuksinensa

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tonus. Doublet of ton, an earlier borrowing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔ.nys/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

tonus m (plural tonus)

1. muscle tone, tonicity, tonus
2. (by extension) energy, strength

Related terms

• tonicité
• tonifier

Further reading

• “tonus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “tone”), from Proto-Hellenic *tónos, from Proto-Indo-European *tón-os, from *ten- (“stretch”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈto.nus/, [ˈt̪ɔnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈto.nus/, [ˈt̪ɔːnus]

Noun

tonus m (genitive tonī); second declension

1. The stretching or straining of a rope.
2. (by extension) A strain; tension.
3. (figuratively) The pitch, sound or tone of something.
4. (figuratively) A crack of thunder.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	tonus	tonī
Genitive	tonī	tonōrum
Dative	tonō	tonīs
Accusative	tonum	tonōs
Ablative	tonō	tonīs
Vocative	tone	tonī

Descendants

• Asturian: truenu; → tonu
• Catalan: tro; → to
• Dalmatian: tun
• → Dutch: toon
• → Old French: ton
  • → Middle English: tone
    • ⇒ Middle English: tune
      • English: tune
• → French: ton
  • → English: ton
• → French: tonus
• Friulian: ton, tron
• Galician: trono; → ton
• → German: Ton
• Italian: tuono; → tono
• Occitan: tron; → ton
• Portuguese: trom; → tom (semi-learned), tono, tónus
• Romagnol: tràun
• Romanian: tun; → ton
• Romansch: tun, tung
• → Russian: то́нус (tónus), тон (ton)
• Sardinian: tronu
• Sicilian: tronu; → tonu
• Spanish: trueno; → tono
• → English: tone (or through Old French)
• → English: tonus
• → Welsh: tôn

See also

• tonō

References

• “tonus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• tonus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• tonus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French tonus.

Noun

tonus n (plural tonusuri)

1. muscle tone
2. tonus

Declension

Declension of tonus

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) tonus	tonusul	(niște) tonusuri	tonusurile
genitive/dative	(unui) tonus	tonusului	(unor) tonusuri	tonusurilor
vocative	tonusule		tonusurilor