tonus n : the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli; "the doctor tested my tonicity" [syn: tonicity, tone] [ant: atonicity]

Latin

Etymology

From τόνος from τείνω.

Noun

tonus

1. tone
2. thunder

Tonus is the Latin equivalent of the English word tone. It is especially used to refer to:

• Muscle tone, the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles
• Arterial tone, the continuous and passive partial contraction of the arterioles
• Tonicity, the ability of a solution to cause water movement
• The Pythagorean interval of 9/8

adaptability, bounce, bounciness, buoyance, buoyancy, elasticity, extensibility, flexibility, give, liveliness, rebound, resilience, resiliency, responsiveness, snap, spring, springiness, stretch, stretchability, stretchiness, tone, tonicity