tonic
• noun 1 a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigour or well-being. 2 something with an invigorating effect. 3 tonic water. 4 Music the first note in a scale which, in conventional harmony, provides the keynote of a piece of music. • adjective Music referring to the first note of a scale. — ORIGIN Greek tonikos ‘of or for stretching’, from tonos ‘tension, tone’.
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