English
tonus
Tonus comes from Latin tonus ‘strain, tension’, from Ancient Greek τόνος ‘tone’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘stretch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tón-osreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tónos‘rope, cord’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόνος‘tone’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtonus‘strain, tension’
- Englishearliest quotation 1942same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tón-osreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tónos‘rope, cord’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόνος‘tone’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtonus‘strain, tension’
- Englishearliest quotation 1942same form
Earliest quotation: 1942, Myrtle Gladys Scott, Analysis of Human Motion: A Textbook in Kinesiology: “The amount of stretch possible increases with the range…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘stretch’
content, continue, entertainment, tight, maintenance, obtain, tennis, contain, retain, tender, continent, tenant, detention, sustain, continuous, retention, tenor, rein, pertinent, pristine, detain, abstinence, tenacity, abstain, tendon, continuum, tenet, countenance, pertain, tenement, tenacious, sustenance, incontinence, tantra, tenable, retinue, maintainer, tetanus, tendinitis, abstention, 67 more
through Ancient Greek τόνος ‘tone’
through Latin tonus ‘strain, tension’
Today it means
noun tonicity; tone
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / tonus